


Destiny

by happy_phantom



Category: White Collar
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-15 14:18:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2232117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happy_phantom/pseuds/happy_phantom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal was forced to go to DC to work with Kramer. But because of Kramer's problems with health he is about to get a new handler...<br/>Would he be able to come back to NY? Would he be able to forget what happened in DC?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi,  
> This is my first fanfiction, so please be gentle. I will try to post at least once a week and I am looking for a beta! As you can probably notice, I am not an English native speaker. Reviews, ideas? All mistakes are mine and sorry for them.  
> Story inspired by "A Healthy Neal is a Happy Neal" by kriadydragon and "Bring him home" by PadyandMoony
> 
> From chapter 5 on - in beta version!

Ann Smith was a non-nonsense women with straight priorities and one goal in life: to be a good person. Not a naïve one, overly sweet one or stupid one (definitely not). Just genuinely good. She was reasonable (too much, some people argued – taking all into account, not judging too quickly and rather giving everyone a benefit of doubt), smart and trustworthy with very good instincts. Damn a good agent she was. And though she never opted for a fast career track, she ended up pretty high in the hierarchy. She slowly advanced - step by step, experience by experience and case by case. She run her own department when a tragedy hit. Her men died. Not even in the line of duty. Driving home from a charity event when a drunk driver embedded himself in their car. Such a shame. Such a cliché. They deserved better. She picked up the pieces but couldn’t carry on. Her people weren’t hers anymore. The great machine she created wasn’t so good  without those who died. Maybe it was the guilt of those who survived? Demons from the past? She didn’t know and didn’t care. First time in her life she simply gave up. Took a leave. They let her. But gardening, cooking or reading stupid novels wasn’t her thing. She needed not action but a purpose.

So now she was back. Another tragedy – an agent got a heart attack and they needed replacement. Rather sooner than later. Well, actually pretty soon – she got a weekend to pack her things and move back to DC. Normally no one expected a new boss (even if temporary) after three days but the situation was an unique one. The department got an CI and his reputation – was dubious to say at least. By what she gathered from a quick hospital meeting with her would-be team and their previous boss and from some reports – her job wouldn't be easy. She had doubts if she was ready. Especially when the CI didn’t show up on Monday, didn’t pick up his cell and – according to the Marshals – didn’t move since Thursday evening (actually he didn’t suppose to move – his radius was not-existing – 0,5 mile – enough to go to the grocery but nothing more), so she was worried. Of course, she could have sent one of the agents. But she wanted to meet him in person, see his apartment and make up her own mind.

According to her "new people" – he wasn’t really liked, more trouble than he was worth, needed to be kept at a very short leash and of course – was smart and helpful, but had to be remained of his place all over. They were way too eager to go and pick him up on their own. They were somehow scared/embarrassed – she couldn’t pin point it. And then there was a short note. An email dated a few weeks back from one of the interns (whose internship was terminated due to some wrong doing) with some serious accusations (no proof though) of mistreating a CI. She wasn’t supposed to know about it but an old colleague gave her heads up over dinner. Nothing too specific but it was enough for her to keep her guards up. So she excused herself, picked up her car keys and headed to the CI’s apartment. She wasn’t stupid to go there on her own – she called a friend from her old times and asked him to join her. He agreed and they decided to meet outside the CI’s current place of stay (a not-too-good motel room). The road in mid-January wasn’t too good – snow, ice, crazy drivers, traffic and it took her about 30 minutes to reach her destination. John Collins – her colleague and a friend – was waiting for her, rubbing his hands. Winter was a true winter this year.

“Well, Ann. Good to see you! I knew that your PhD in history of art and childhood in Europe will come in hand at one time. Pretty big shoes you will have to fill in, don’t you think?”

“Right now I have to sort out a few things to see the actual size of these shoes.” She smiled when she saw his surprised face. “O, don’t you worry about me! We survived worse!” (victims of torture, rape, abuse of any kind, tough negotiations – white collar division seems to be a piece of cake after her previous one).

“ Let’s grab a manager”.

They went to the manager (too big word for this guy, she thought to pick up an extra set of keys). She wasn’t prepare for what she heard.

“I guess that I don’t have to bother to turn on the heat or electricity for this week after he overslept. It’s a good thing that you don’t use kid gloves on him. The guy who usually picks him up seem to be pretty straightforward – some privileges have to be gained. A criminal is a criminal and then sometimes a human being he says – smart man, you know. Here we are. You don’t need a company, don’t you?”

She was calm – more or less – but she glanced at John and knew he was boiling. She decided to play along with the manager:

“Well. I guess the guy was right. Any other restrictions he invented?”

“Well, lady. I don’t know if I should...”

“Sir, it’s my first day in a new role. I don’t want to make some rookie mistakes. Anything can be useful.” Ann was also a pretty woman (next door not some hot chick pretty) and she knew (learned to be specific) to use her charm to get what she needed. Desperate times needed desperate measures.

“I guess he cut him down on money and some supplies. Nothing too serious.”

“Thank you. We'll have it from here. But please turn on the heating and the electricity. Now would be ok.”

The guy didn’t seem to like what was said.

“You need to pay extra. I got 500 only for a room.”

“We will have it cover.” – she replied with a fake smile. – “Don’t you worry”.

She opened a room. Dark. Cold (freezing would be more accurate description). Not inviting at all. If the CI run, she didn’t blame him. No sounds. Then she saw it. A mountain of blankets on the small bed. The mountain coughed. And coughed. A bad, wet cough. She approached slowly. Too long she worked with victims of some many traumas (that’s why she needed a change in the scenery and accepted this position, what an irony, she thought). She knew that – as much as she wanted, needed to run away from this – she would have to face it. That the intern might have been right and faced the consequences of right, not wrong doing.

She slowly sat on the bed trying to rise (not to startle) the occupant. She didn’t have to talk to John – he was outside, on the phone demanding back up (well, pulling some strings, collecting old debts, to gather their friends and former co-workers (Ann had a great reputation and a lot of people who admired and respected her)) . They needed someone trustworthy to deal with such a situation – possible abuse of a CI by FBI handler – press would love it . He also called for medics. That wasn’t their first rodeo - even if the details differed. So they knew how to handle it.

“Neal, c’mon open your eyes.”  She said softly and turned on the lamp. At least the manager was quick. The CI was completely covered under so many (still too few – she saw shivers running through his body) layers. His cheeks flushed. His breathing shallow and rattled. He definitely was running a fever.

“Neal, I heard you have baby blue eyes. I need to see them. Wake up. C’mon Neal.” She cajoled.

After a few moans, he obliged.

“Here we are. Hi, Neal.”

“Who’re u?” He rasped. Sluggish and not too coherent or lucid. She grabbed a bottle of water from the nightstand and gave him some.

“I’m Ann. I came here to see how’re you doing” (She thought that saying _I am your new boss and came here to drag your ass to the office_ wasn’t a reply he could take at the moment. The other wasn’t a really better one because he seemed not too convinced and too stunned to replay).

“Is it al’edy M’day?” Came between coughs.

“Why are you asking Nea?l”

“I’ve to go.” He said trying to push himself out of the covers. He failed miserably. She caught him when he tried to get up and swayed. He was too pale for her liking.

“Oh, easy Neal. Getting up it is not too good idea. Let’s get you back under the blankets.”

He wanted to resist but was too weak. His eyes glossy, his skin clumsy, his temperature too cold and too hot at once. But still he was trying.

“I can’t. They’ll be mad. I need to be on top performance this week. I need money!” If he weren't so weak, he would be screaming. But now every word was a bit above whisper.

 _Don’t we all_ , she thought maneuvering him back to the bed. He was too skinny. Under many layers of cloths she felt bones too well prominent. He gasped with pain when she touched him on the lower back. She let it be for know. Didn’t feel like getting him undressed would improve their situation. He needed a doctor. She needed information how and why this disaster happened. She knew that he was talkative because of the fever, cold, tiredness, maybe desperation. She knew that it was probably her only chance to gather some details.

“So you don’t get money when you are what – doing not so good.” She spoke softly still holding his hands and trying her best to tuck him in. You didn’t have only win-win situations on the job and sometimes even the top performance wasn’t enough to bring down a criminal – she knew that all too well.

“I got $20 last week.” He was almost excited. She tried to calculate what can be bought – and realized that too many things couldn't be. Malnourishment crossed her mind while he was talking and coughing trying to form a small ball under the covers.

“Only $10 the week before that. Too slow, too much talking back, too much pain in the ass. They told me. He cut me $20 from this week for letting me stay home on Friday. They had some staff visit and my coughing wouldn’t be welcome.” So they noticed. And didn’t care. She could easily guess what they stood for. His so-called (too big word) colleagues. So-called agents who were to serve, protect.

 “And coffee run is pricey. They will send me, I’m sure. They always do.” He was coughing trying to catch his breath. The team told her that he was a conman. That he would try to con her. Well, this cough, fever and manor couldn’t be faked. But why he didn’t fail a complain? Stupid question – she and John and her team saw it. Way too many times. Fear, guilt, no other option, attachment, believing in better tomorrow – the list could go on and on…

“Easy Neal. Calm down. Slow breaths.” She tried to help him. Helplessness wasn’t something she could live with. Maybe that’s why she left. She couldn’t have protected them. She failed. Never forgave herself. Too many what ifs to deal with… But now – oh, God have mercy on her new team – she knew exactly what to do. She just needed to get him to safety first.

And she was pissed. The CI was supposed to get $100 each week (no matter of his performance), no coffee runs for the office (not to be paid for this small check, anyway), warm (at least!) place to stay and medical attention if needed. She looked at him and wonder when he ate something warm (no electricity meant no cooking in this god-forgotten place, not even tea or coffee). The talking was taking a toll on him. He struggled not to close his eyes. She looked for John. He was standing nearby. Still boiling.

“Ann, the bus is 5 – 10 minutes out. Do you need anything?”

“Check the radiators – I want them on full and try to find a bag to pack his clothes and some toiletries. Check the fridge and the cupboards – we need to know how badly malnourished he is.”

She focused her attention on Neal who become somehow agitated.

“Why are you here. I can’t make friends. He will know about it. It is forbidden. You have to go. I don’t want trouble. He will harm El or P’ter or June or Moz. Or send me back. Please go.”

He tried to push her away. The action was too much and he become too white and greenish at once. She rolled him on the side. Only water came back. And then painful dry heaves.

“S’rry. Go a’ay. It’s dan’ous.”

“Neal, I promise Kramer and his people won't hurt you or anyone near you. I will do everything in my power to help you. We need to get you to the ER, give you some medicine and properly feed you, ok? It’s freezing outside and you need to have some body fat to keep you warm."

She tried to reason gaining a small smile (and huge look of disbelief and fear in his eyes). She needed his trust. “ I know it is scary. But you need to trust me, ok?” She spoke softly but firmly trying to calm him

He wasn’t too convinced but manage a small nod. _Here we are_ – she smiled.

“When was the last time you eat a decent meal?” She teased grabbing gently his arm and rubbing small circles. He didn’t withdraw. He tensed up a bit but calmed quickly. _Good sign_ , she hoped.

“Ch’mas. Lovely turkey.”  He managed to croaked. But this became too much. His eyes rolled and he passed out.

“John! I need these medics now!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal in hospital and Ann with old allies...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need a beta!!! 
> 
> I accidentally killed Neal with one wrong pronoun (phrasal verbs be damned) and I’d rather not to repeat this experience – the grief and so on :D. Don’t you worry – with Collarfan’s help I brought him back :)
> 
> Thank you for all you reviews and tips!!! Shorter chapter (sorry) and shorter paragraphs :)
> 
> And here we go…Enjoy

A minute later John was back with EMTs. They were quick and Neal (with oxygen mask and an IV) was loaded in the ambulance in no time. Ann asked the medics to get Dr Mike Anderson on the standby and told them that their patient  might be confused, disoriented and agitated when (and if) he wakes up. She told him to assured him that it’s Sunday.

Of course, she tried to make him believe that he will be taken care of – but she knew that probably it will be just a vague memory and his fear will take over.

“If he asks about the day of the week, tell him it’s Sunday. It should keep him calmer. He worries about his job”. With nod from the medics and her promise to follow them asap she left Neal in their hands.

She called Marshalls and told them that Neal was taken to the hospital but asked the officer not to informed anyone else. When she was done, John came to her.

“Ann. This is his bag – but true to be told he doesn’t have many possessions. I guess he put all his casual clothes on because I didn’t find anything apart from some underwear, shirts, ties and 2 suits and a coat – rather for fall than winter. His fridge (out of service due to the lack of electricity) and cupboards store more air than anything else: a half-empty jar of peanut butter, some bread and almost empty package of cereals. No dairy products, fruit, veggies or meat. No cold medicine.”

“Great.” Ann commented sarcastically.

 “On the receipt from the last Monday there were only few additional items probably already eaten: a yoghurt, a packet of granola bars, 2 apples and a banana. His trash can is mostly empty. The stove seems to not have been used for a while. Only one or two pots or pans. A few dishes. If the guy ate something more substantial in the previous days, it wasn’t at home. But I guess he didn’t. His cell was in the kitchen – the battery died. Do you want me to bring down the manager for questioning? My boss gave my go-ahead and as much time as I needed to work with you.”

“I guess we have really good supervisors these days. We got the same but we had to promise to bring Ann down for a coffee.” Added a new male voice.

“Sam! Good to see you! Coffee it is, then”. Ann hugged him.

“Good to see you, Ann. Elise is waiting in her computer kingdom. What do you want us to do?”

Sam worked with Ann in the field. Long time ago. Elise was a computer analysts – a replacement of one of her men, but she gained Ann’s trust. Ann smiled: it was good to have them back. She definitely wasn’t looking forward to dealing with her new team.

“Well, I need some background information on my CI . I only got a brief look – I don’t remember all details and I didn’t have time to dig into his past. First of all – his medical history and proxy. This I need asap. And a photo just in case we have to show it someone. Then - when and why he came here.” She went on:

“Any clue about close family or friends – look for El – probably Elizabeth, June, Peter and Moz – whoever it is. I need to know also his parole conditions. Find reports from the last cases – anything about how he did his job and how the team worked, if anything changed during his stay. Get me a phone number and address of one of the interns – Julianna Eagers. I guess that all of this will be Elise’s work.” They nodded.

 “John  - you will question the manager. Try to do it here – fast – I don’t want him to call Kramer or his people. Try not to shoot him. No warrant so be gentle”

“I will do my best, Ann." They smiled. 

 “Sam - please go and interview the neighbors – anything that can be useful: his habits, his visitors etc – I know it’s mid-day and most of them will be at work but we have to try. There is a mall nearby – he did his shopping there. Probably on Mondays – try to get some details. He is not into any trouble – we are here to help him and get some background information. I will head to the hospital. Elise’s office is still where it was?”

“Nothing changed” Sam answered her.

“Ok. We will meet there in something like 3 hours? We will need some privacy.”

They nodded and started to do their job.

Ride to the hospital was a quick one. Well, she might still get this wrong – a conman - she tried to remind herself. But her guts beg to differ. And what she saw… No way anyone would pull such a con…If she was right, it will be a hell of a first day.

Ann went directly to the nurse station to get some updates. She didn’t have to wait too long. Her friend – Dr Anderson approached her within minutes.

“Hi, Ann. Good to see you. I wish under better circumstances”.

“Hi, Mike. Well, white collar and on my first day I have a possible abuse of authority at least. Tell me what you know”.

“Well, we had to admit him and we will have to remove his anklet. There is a gash underneath – probably infected.”

“Ok. Do what you have to do. I will authorize it.”

“Ok. I might need to call the police as well.”

“Excuse me? Why is that?”

“He got extensive bruising on his back  and torso: cracked or broken ribs, belt marks, lacerations, some signet ring marks. Not all from the same time. Someone can send you specifics as soon as we are done with the photographs. We are checking for internal damage and waiting for some other results.”

“Damn it. I will do it – I will call some who worked with us. I need to keep it quiet for a while. What about other issues? I don’t think this is the end…” She was there and saw him…A tip of the iceberg at least…

“No. Ann, the list goes on.” She braced herself and reminded that it is neither her first victim, nor the first conversation like this with Mike.

“ I don’t want you to panic but even without additional information his condition is serious if not critical: fluid in lungs, pneumonia quite developed, fever waiting to strike as soon as his body temperature rises a bit, severe dehydration and malnourishment. I’ve gotten anorectic patients with better BMI than his. We are doing what we can – he is weak. But a fighter as well." (I knew it, Ann thought).

"He woke up briefly. Ask about the day – medics gave us heads-up to tell him it is Sunday. We told him he will be as good as new on Monday and he relaxed. He is pretty out of it. I hate lying to the patients but he looked as if he might have tried to get up and demand to be discharged against medical advice to go to work! He was that terrified!” Ann only sighed.

 “Almost broke nurses’ hearts asking not to cut his clothing because he can’t afford anything else. And that they keep him warm – I didn’t think it was possible to put that many layers at once. Ann, it is almost like you ‘d have brought me one of your victims rescued from the psychopaths you caught! Not an FBI consultant! And it didn’t happen over a night!”

“Mike, I know. And  I wish it was a con or a nightmare to wake up from. But we both not that it isn’t. I didn’t expect this. C’mon! I didn’t sign up for this” She was desperate.

”We fill try to fix it – please keep me inform. I will get someone here to stay with him. Don’t let anyone chained him to the bed. He’s been through enough. ”

“Ann, he will probably be sleeping but you can post someone in his room 24/7 as soon as we transfer him to the ICU. He’s not out of the woods, yet. It can go both ways but I’m quite positive. We will try to keep him as comfortable as possible. I have to go. Call you if anything changes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?
> 
> I will try to post something before weekend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann, calls and Kramer…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My medical, legal and FBI-related knowledge is very limited. Please keep it in mind!  
> All mistakes are mine. A new character will show up… I hope you will like her:)
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and reviews!

Ann knew that Mike would do whatever it takes to improve Neal’s condition. And he would keep it quiet – as much as possible. She hoped that she would get the whole picture before the rumors spread and Kramer would find out about his CI.

Ann closed her eyes and tried to gather her thoughts. She knew that she would have to con the team and – maybe – their boss. She needed a statement. Evidence. And all these legal things. Who, how often, why… The last one was the trickiest. Why good people do bad things – isn’t it one of the hardest questions? Anyway, she thought – some more phone calls to be made.

First, she called her friend in the Police Department – someone trustworthy (again, isn’t it the trust the most valuable asset today – she thought). 

She called her new team and told them (ok – lied to them) that she left CI to look at some materials she had brought because she was called to a meeting in another part of the city. And that she had some paperwork to do and some other things to deal with (not exactly the lie, wasn’t it?). She ordered them to get busy with cold cases and asked for a meeting at four in the afternoon. She called her boss and arranged another meeting. The last call was to Mamma Bee and just hearing her voice made Ann believe that at the end things would be ok.

Mamma Bee was a legend – she (as a first one) took care of teenagers and young adults – mostly street kids from abusive families – when everyone talked about younger children. When no one gave them hope. Too old, too many bad habits, too many mistakes. She believed in them and created them a safe haven, shelter, home – but what was the most important – she gave them hope.

She pushed so hard: them to come back on the right path, society to acknowledged their existence, clerks and officials to give what was needed. One of her kid coined her a nickname – Mamma Bee. And no one was sure if the B came from that fact that she was their second mom (or maybe the first one), or the hardworking (and stinging if necessary) insect. Both fitted so well and the matter was dropped.

When Mamma Bee raised enough descendants (and could have enjoyed retirement) she focused her attention on another group. She knew too well the stats (and she agreed, and cared about women) but with all the images created by everyone around that men can’t become victims, she simply couldn’t stand when one of her boys was taken to hospital – years after he started his life on his own –  badly beaten. When she came to see him, he just told her that nothing happened:

“ You don’t talk about it, no one cares – I should have defended myself”. He told her. So Mamma Bee being Mamma Bee opened a shelter for male victims. She didn’t care about their sexual preferences, their background, their age. And again she used her skills, knowledge and contacts to give them hope and place to overcome their traumas (at least part of them).

When Ann called, she was a bit surprised (but only a bit – she hoped that Ann will be back doing what she was so good at) but was on her way to hospital before they hung up. Ann smiled and started walking towards cardiologic ward.

She knocked and entered Kramer’s room.

“Phil. How are you today?”

“I’m good. At least medically. They took my mobile, computer and told me to take it easy. They will schedule a bypass operation in 6 to 8 weeks. The doctors assured me I will probably be able to return to desk duty within next 6 months. Hell of an assurance! It should be quicker!”

“You have to get them do their job. I won’t take away your office! I was perfectly fine outside this!” She smiled sitting in the chair next to his bed. She sighed.

 “Well, I guess you can blame your heart attack on Caffrey! He almost gave me one today!” Kramer looked at her and smiled bitterly.

“ First impression and that bad, uh? He might be a bit sick but probably he’s just being lazy. But he must have unnerved you”

“Yeah. Is there any chance to get rid of him? This guy is a nightmare! I don’t think I could work with him!”

“Ann, easy. I felt that you and Caffrey won’t get along! He is a criminal. But – you know – he could be handled! And help you do your job. His previous handler didn’t know how to do it but I think I found a right key.”

( _Taken out of the medieval torture chamber_ – she thought).

“Phil, I don’t want to take your time – you need your rest.”

“No, I am perfectly fine. What do you need?” He smiled.

( _A shotgun to wipe this smile off your face. And if you could add a statement, that would be nice_ – crossed her mind).

She smiled back, sighed heavily:

 “Right now any suggestions might be helpful.”

“Ok. So – he needs to know that you are his boss. No kid gloves. His is a great conman – watch your back all time. He is smart so for your own good no modern technologies – a simple mobile, no personal computer. He can use the Internet in the office – I monitored it so he won’t pull a con! He has his desk situated in a way I can see him from my office and it is quite hard to talk to other agents and interns – watch out for them! Don’t let him befriend people – he will con them”

“Keep him busy. Give him homework. Pick him up and drive him home – or ask one of your men to do it. Strict schedule”

“Ok. That’s great. “ ( _But not incriminating_ she thought)

 “Remember and remind him that you can put him back in jail – and probably add some time to his initial one for crimes never proved. I got some things in my pocket just in case. His is loyal – this is his weakness – and you can use it.”

“How?”                                                              

“Back in NY his handler – Peter Burke become something more than just a handler. A friend I guess. And I can bet that he turned a blind eye on his crimes. I had heart-to-heart with Caffrey. I threatened to put him in prison along with his friends: Burke, his lovely wife and Caffrey’s landlady – June something. You know what they say: give me a man, I will find a paragraph? Caffrey may not care about his return to prison but he cares about their safety and well-being.”

“Good thinking. So fear. Loyalty.”

“His life is not as valuable as the agents’ life – so put him undercover, do whatever you need to get the job done but don’t let him take credit for this. All mistakes are his.”

“So he is a punching bag?” She chuckled.

“Mostly figuratively. But sometimes literally. Ann, Caffrey is a criminal with murky past and no future – he will commit a crime sooner or later. Don’t waste your career on him. Do what has to be done. Use his skills but don’t pity him”.

“So I am supposed to hit him?”

“Well, I did. My men (including Sandra) did. Not often. I would call it last resort.”

“And no one objected?”

“No. You will be judged by your results, not by the means you used. My agents didn’t even blink. You know, the rat race. Ann, I was raised in times when corporal punishment was something everyone experienced and everyone survived. Spanking and so one. Don’t get me wrong – I have never beaten him badly and on rare occasions.” ( _Had,_ Ann corrected. You won’t raise a hand at him anymore)

 “No big deal. Just… now the criminals have more rights than the law abiding citizens! Nowadays you grabbed a guy by collar and he will fill a complaint against you – extensive use of force.” (How many of them you have on your record, _Phil – Ann wondered_ ).

“I guess times have changed.”

“They have. Ann, you were out for what – 3 years? FBI now and then it is a completely different agency. Get used to it. Criminals have all resources and we – I would call it old good behaviorism. Reinforcement and punishment.”

“You’re right. It is different.” ( _FBI must have changed if they allowed people like you, bastard. But I didn’t,_ Ann thought).

“You know that we donate a lot of money to the charity thanks to CI programme?”

“How is that? The money is tight.”

“Well, behaviorism remember? I allowed my people to cut him down on money and made a deal with his manager – he got a room but electricity, heat and warm water has to be earned. I guess he got used to cold showers – but he couldn’t find a clue to catch one of art thieves, then it were the bonds…He needs to know I own him. It would be 3 weeks now – more or less" ( _Yeah. In winter – good thinking, why anyone needs warmth when there is freezing outside_ , Ann thought).

“ I turned in on for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I am not an evil, Ann.” ( _Neither an angel… If you are not an evil, I don’t want to know the true one_. – crossed Ann’s mind. But she knew the scheme he used too well – punish the victim and then give her or him something needed and appreciated. Implement guilt in the victim…)

“But how it works?”

“So remember $500 is for a room and well – surveillance – manager makes sure that there are no guests, no small talk with neighbors – he told them that Caffrey is a rapist or something like that. You have to add $50 a week for conveniences. You got up to $100 a week for his food and other supplies. I guess he never got the whole amount – not in the last few months.” He chuckled. Ann didn’t.

“You sign up all the papers – so keep them in order.”

“So you basically gave him less and donate the rest?”

“Yeah. Mutual benefit.”

“Caffrey seems to be skinny. You sure that it is good for him? Maybe he doesn’t have enough money to buy food?”

“Oh, he tried to make you believe this? Poor Neal… Ann, he was always the skinny type. Besides we would have noticed if something was wrong. He got his medical last November and passed with flying colors! Ann, whatever you will do, do it wisely – be a step ahead of him, not behind.”

“I didn’t talk with him about it. Well, he might as well be trying to follow the trends. Size 0 or whatever. Well, thank you. I guess I got what I needed.” She smiled and they talked for a few more minutes. But the nurse entered and Ann excused herself.

While she left, she stopped the hidden recording. She had a feeling that if she played it right, the case would not see to courtroom. But that justice would be served. She wanted to rip him apart. But she still had more testimonies to collect.

Ann wasn’t too much stunned that Kramer so easily felt into her trap. Well, being above the law, having the power to make people suffer, forgetting to distinguish between right and wrong… She interviewed many abusers and knew that the majority of them didn’t feel guilt, remorse…They were convinced that they were saving the world…doing right things…being good men…Moral standards, ego too big…

Moreover, when she was rethinking the way she was introduced…Kramer’s boss simply told him that Ann would be just great for the job and she would perfectly replace him. He added that Ann would handle CI perfectly… But Ann never worked on a long run with a criminal consultant before. She worked with victims …So he knew…he suspected something…If Kramer had checked Ann, he would have found many recommendations and many classified files – outside his clearance zone. Ann had one thing on her record, though. A rookie mistake. He hit one guy and he failed a complaint. They sorted out somehow… Her father was a judge, had many friends… She wasn’t proud. But she never made this mistake again… But Kramer didn’t know that…and he might have suspected that Ann hadn’t changed…With her leave, father… It made him talkative… He thought that they were similar… that Ann would carry on…

Ok, Ann had a great reputation but in fact she wasn’t a bureau’s celebrity – with her team they dealt with so many horrible situations, in most cases classified (for their and their victims safety), that not too many people knew exactly what she was doing… They knew her stats and that she was kind and smiling…So Kramer suspected a pure evil beneath the surface… Oh, she will show him pure evil…

Heading towards the ICU, she answered a phone call from Elise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?  
> I will be back on Monday :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Ann, some explanation and one mystery...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit earlier... I hope you don't mind:)  
> Thank you for all reviews and kudos !
> 
> Enjoy...

“Hi, how are you doing? I hope I didn’t put you in any trouble.”

“No, Ann. My boss is so thrilled that I was asked to help with your investigation! He even brought me coffee and asked how I am doing!’’ Elise chuckled but went straight to business:

“Ann, I faxed medical information to the hospital. His medical proxy is Peter Burke – his handler from NY. Caffrey didn’t change it when he came to DC. Apart from mandatory evaluation in November – due to an op going south and the interns’ complaint –  he didn’t seek medical advice. I called Burke but went straight into voicemail. I don’t want to call his office - not to rise any suspicion.  El would be Burke’s wife and June – Caffrey’s landlord in NY. Moz – well, his buddy.”

“Ok. Dig into Burke’s and Caffrey’s relation: now and then – did they keep in touch? Check if something happened here last fall – either it went awry at this time more or less, or the medical checkup was a scam. I need also the name of the physician who signed Caffrey’s papers.”

 “ Not a problem. I got also some more info but it can wait till our meeting. The intern you asked about lives near hospital. I sent you the address and some background information.”

“Ok. I will see if he is already in the ICU and talk with Eleonor.”

“Mamma Bee? Give her a hug! Well, he will be in good hands”.

When Ann entered the ICU, she immediately spotted tall, curvy women with brown soft eyes and grey hair. Mamma Bee probably already invaded fridge with some easily digestive products: soup, apple sauce, oatmeal, her home made miracle making tea… And some cookies for medical personnel. They knew her, she knew them. She probably brought some soft blankets, pillows and Mamma Bee’s soft cotton gowns. Ann wouldn’t be surprised to see Neal dress in it. All these made a difference – even if it was a small one.

Both women hugged. Ann was more than grateful for her presence and assistance.

“Neal should be wheeled here within half an hour top. I spoke with Mike. They are worried about his lungs and kidneys – apparently the bruising, pneumonia along with lack of water and food, took the toll on them. They drained his lungs but they are afraid that they will have to repeat the procedure.  And his low weight can be a problem.”

“Yeah. I … I just didn’t expect this. I was supposed to chase art thieves, visit  museum, consult security, work on mortgage frauds…”

“Ann, I know you love art. But c’mon.. You are the best at saving people, not some expensive paintings!”

Ann smiled.

“ Probably you are right…I don’t know.. I will be back in the evening. Please let me know if anything changes. I have to run.”

“Don’t you worry. I cleared my schedule – and I am used to staying up in the ICU. Mike thinks Neal will be sleeping… but after such a trauma he needs someone… Ann, does he have anyone close? It’s always better to wake up seeing a familiar face…”

“I don’t know yet. Keep digging. Ask Mike to send me the medical report as soon as they’re done. ”

“Ok. See you later.”

“Bye”.

Ann rushed to her car. She saw Neal’s bag at the backseat. She forgot about it but decided to take it with her and bring back in the evening. Ann knew that she had some information but the whole situation was still a mystery – why Neal left NY? And why no one was interested in his stay her? Ann knew that Kramer isolated him from his friends – actually anyone who may care... Another sign of abuse… Along with fear, dependence, unpredictability…

But someone became a hero and paid quite a price…Ann checked her phone and started reading.

Julianna Eagers came from a so-called middle class, rather lower than upper. Her father left when she was 10. Her mum raised her and her brother. They lived in DC their whole life. She got a full scholarship to study psychology and the history of art and graduated with master degree in the latter. She started her internship with FBI in July. Her contract was terminated by mutual agreement – but she first was accused of stealing and trading valuable information. But due to the circumstantial evidence she wasn’t charged. Two weeks before she filed a complaint. In an email to Kramer’s boss she accused Kramer and his team of mistreating their CI and deliberately putting his life on the line. She described several situations. In one of them CI was seriously injured.

Kramer’s boss looked into the case but dismissed it without even talking to the CI… due to the report of Kramer (how convenient) and Dr Liam Winters’s medical check-up. According to the file, Caffrey was only bruised – after some undercover operation –  and besides it, in top health. He got some antibiotics – just in case – painkillers and a day off. The boss assumed that CI should tell if something was wrong because according to him he wasn’t the cowboy up type of the guy. (What a judge of a character, Ann thought… She didn’t know if she could trust him…She decided to call her father later to ask for advice).

Ann started her car and drove for around 15 minutes. She parked outside a tenement. She found the right flat and knocked on the door. A young, blonde woman opened it a bit:

“Who is this?”

“My name is Ann Smith and I am with the FBI. I am looking for Julianna Eagers.”

“So I guess you found her. I didn’t do anything and I don’t want to talk to you. Good bye. Unless you have a warrant or came here to arrest me.”

“Miss Eagers I’m here to talk about Neal Caffrey. I am his new handler and I took him to the hospital this morning. He’s critical. I know that you noticed something and I suspect that you were wrongly accused. Give me 5 minutes, please.”

“Show me your badge.”

“Ok.” She looked at it.

“Who are you working with? Kramer?”

“Miss Eagers I took a personal leave 3 years ago and this is my first official day. I don’t know a thing about how the office operated under Kramer’s command.”

Reluctantly Julianna opened the door and invited Ann in.

“Please take a sit.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate your help. Can I record the meeting?”

“Will it help Neal?”

“I hope so.”

“Ok.”

“Thank you. Could you please introduce yourself and tell me about your time with the FBI?”

“Ok. I’m Julianna Eagers. I’m 25. I started working with FBI as an intern last July. Just after my graduation. I was accepted to the white collar division and worked under Agent Philip Kramer’s wing. They’ve had the CI, Neal Caffrey for about 2 months when I joined them. First, I didn’t suspect anything. Work, work, work…. But after a while I started noticing things… Small ones… From the beginning Neal was withdrawn, quiet… not keeping an eye contact with you… But then… Once he bumped into me while carrying a coffee tray… He apologized way too many times… That wasn’t the worst… His hands couldn’t stop shaking… I told him not worry about it… He couldn’t calm himself. I assisted him to the bathroom… Kramer came by and asked about him. The coffee was for him and his people… I don’t know why but I covered for Neal – told him that I was clumsy and destroyed his coffee – and I rushed downstairs to replace the order… I distributed it and when Neal finally emerged it was like… like I took a bullet for him…Saved his life. After that I paid more attention…” She stopped for a moment.

“He barely ate in the office. A granola bar, a yoghurt, a banana… He was skinny and I figured that it couldn’t be healthy…So I brought him a sandwich, a salad… Kramer told me not to be conned by Neal. I didn’t care. It wasn’t his business. Afterwards I put food in Neal’s bag so no one would have noticed…”

“He sometimes was stiffed or couldn’t move his arm.” (Problems with ribs, Ann tried to guess).

“He always told me that he was fine…”

“I figured his address.  Brought him dinner once… He was sitting at the table… with a lit candle. He was terrified. Told me to go… I didn’t. I couldn’t heat the food – there was no electricity.” Julianna braced herself.

“We were eating, when… someone must have called the police. He opened the door… They thought that he wanted to rape me… Someone told them that he was a convicted rapist released from prison… The police officer shoved him to the ground. I explained the situation… And…Neal.. he rolled into a small ball. Cover his head with hands… He expected to be beaten. The police was stunned… They asked him if he’d wanted to file a complaint, needed medics or anything. He barely spoke above whisper. But refused medical attention. They told the manager to turn on the electricity, apologized and left us. Can we take a break? I need a glass of water. Would you want one?”

“Yes, please.” Julianna poured two glasses of water. She slowly came back and continued.

“I stayed with Neal. He threw up. I helped him into pajamas. Then I noticed… bruises… He brushed me off. But I connected the dots… I was certain that he was abused… I could have only imagined the gory details… but… I made him promise me that he will tell someone. ‘Nobody will believe me, he told.’ ‘Once a conman, always a conman’. “ Julianna sighed.

I asked him about his life back in NY. We figured that he can write a letter and send it to his previous handler… I don’t remember his name…”

“Peter Burke”.

“Yes. Kramer monitored his e-mails. So Neal lied to everyone – told them that he was ok. He wrote a letter. I took it and sent it.” She took a sip.

“Did you see the letter?”

“Yes. Neal explained in it what was going on. We didn’t want to encrypt it… Just in case the agents would go to the court with this. We figured that nobody from DC will find out and this way it will appear more legit. We waited.”

“Did you send this letter to Burke’s office or home?”

“Home.”

“A few days after the dinner, Kramer approached me and told me to stay away from Neal… That the line between good and bad, saint and criminal is a very thin one… And that I can’t afford to go to prison… I was scared but I hoped that the agent in NY will help Neal.”

“But he didn’t?”

“No. I gave Neal my mobile to call him about a week after the letter... The guy told him to cowboy up, accept the punishment and grew up… He even didn’t want to talk with Neal…Neal was shaken.”

“So you decided to step up…”

“Yes. I filed a complaint… I had to… Neal went undercover… It didn’t end well… But Kramer didn’t report his injuries. After my complaint, there was a medical check-up. According to which, Neal was perfectly fine: fading bruises from the op, healthy weight…“

“And then your problems started.”

“Yes.”

“And in the office – nobody noticed?”

“I don’t think that if they’d noticed, they’d have done something. Kramer’s agents are young – not much older than me. Good university background, wealthy families, a lot of pressure to fulfill parents’ expectations… Their contracts were short and it was up to Kramer to renew them… He talked a lot about financial difficulties and so on… Neal was introduced as a criminal with no future…and they were taught from a very young age to stay away from criminals.”

“Miss Eagers thank you very much for your time. If it goes to court, will you agree to testify?”

“If there is a chance to put Kramer away, I will.”

Ann stopped the recording, took her purse and left the house. When she was on the steps, Julianna approached her:

“Agent Smith, thank you for doing this… Neal is a decent guy. He helped me a lot – boost me self-esteem, showed me some tricks… legal ones, don’t you worry…After I was… fired, I visited him from time to time. I always tried to sneak so nobody noticed. I brought him dinner for Christmas…He was even skinnier… I should have done more…But I needed money and got a job. And just didn’t have enough time… I’m sorry...”

“Miss Eagers, you did what you could have. FBI should have done more. That’s the bitter truth. You have nothing to be sorry for. Probably you gave him hope…”

“Do you think I might go to see Neal? He shouldn’t be alone.”

“He isn’t. If you want to, please wait a day or two. He will look bad… with wires and tubes and all the medical equipment. And..”

“M’am. I can handle!” Ann was abruptly interrupted…

“Yes. I know you can. but Kramer had a heart attack last week. He and Neal are in the same hospital. Right now no one knows that Neal was admitted. And I need it to stay this way so I can build a case. I don’t want you to accidently bump into one of your former colleagues. Please wait for my call. Neal will need a lot of support when he gets better. Right now he is with my trusted friend.”

“Please call me if he gets…” She couldn’t finish.

“Worse or better. I will. Thank you very much Miss Eagers. We will be in touch. This is my card if you need anything”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad Peter!  
> I will be back on Thursday (or a bit earlier...)
> 
> Update: I will be back on Friday but with a beta version of chapter 5! I hope so :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann and work...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank my lovely beta - aquabluejay for the hard work! Thank you so much!!!
> 
> Thank you very much for all kudos and reviews!
> 
> Enjoy!

Ann drove her car in silence. She parked in the underground garage and went to meet Elise. John and Sam were already there seated at the conference room table. Ann hoped that the meeting would fill some blank spots.

“So Elise, how did Burke and Caffrey work back in NY?”

“As a dream team. Their conviction rate was above 90%. According to information I got, they sometimes balanced on the edge between legal actions and criminal ones… But the way they conned the conmen, created trap, worked undercover… It was brilliant, Ann. Caffrey added a spark, some additional value to the team work. Burke was his mentor, supporter, and friend.”

“Ok. So how did Caffrey end up in DC?”

“Well, here it gets… suspicious, I would say.”

“How?”

“Well, first Hughes – Burke’s boss – had a car accident. They were driving with Caffrey. Both were injured – but Hughes’ condition was serious. The bureau had to find a replacement. The accident itself was a hit and run – someone knocked their car over on the crossroad… Probably random, but… Their office gossiped about it… Someone suspected that the accident was to kill or kidnap Neal - Or let him escape… People started talking, which was bad publicity for Caffrey and Burke…”

“And you found that in the official reports?” Sam asked.

“Sweetie, if it had been in the official documents, I wouldn’t be needed.” Elise replied and then continued.

“Then one of their operations went spectacularly bad. Total fiasco. One agent dead, one heavily injured…Thieves made off with art work millions at large… And it was suggested that someone sold them out… tipped criminals off… Of course, nothing was ever proved… But Burke and Caffrey took the brunt of it.”

“Ok. But why is that suspicious? Things like that happen from time to time…” Ann wondered.

“Because it shouldn’t have happened Ann…The plan was brilliant! Flawless! There must have been a snitch in the FBI… It was an inside job.”

“Caffrey?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Just because he’s in the hospital and you pity him?” Sam asked.

“No, smartass. Because I traced a phone call and a payment.”

“Do I want to know how you did it?” Ann inquired.

“Nope.”

“Elise! We need evidence gathered by legal means!”

“Ann, do you seriously think that I broke the law… Ok. I might have cracked it… But the case will never ever go to court!”

“Ok. Let’s drop it. For now…What do you know?”

“The phone call came from the DC. It was an encrypted message to one of the mobsters in NY. Information about the operation. The payment went directly after that to an overseas account. After many, many traces, I found who took the money. They made one small mistake… I don’t want you to get bored, so I’ll just tell you that the man who withdrawn money was Kevin Blacke. Agent Kevin Blacke from white collar division in DC.”

“Holy shit!” Chorus of voices commented.

“NY and DC office cooperated on this case.”

“And it was assumed that the leak came from NY?”

“Yes. Mostly because of Caffrey and his past. But it gets even better. Remember how Hughes was on medical leave? His replacement was Kramer’s buddy from Quantico. You should know that Kramer wanted Neal. Badly. He tried to get him transferred to DC but never succeeded – With Burke and Hughes’ support Caffrey always managed to stay in New York. However, Simmons – Hughes’ replacement wasn’t a fan of the CI program or of Caffrey in particular.”

“So after the fiasco, he just took the opportunity…” Ann wondered.

“Yeah. Especially since Agent Burke had more problems: IA decided to look into his reports. Simmons used his influence. In my opinion Simmons used his influence to create a distraction with the aim of weakening Burke’s position and destroying his reputation. He and his team were interviewed. Ann, there weren’t any charges. But Simmons told Burke  - during the investigation -  that he would not be tolerating Burke’s CI and that the program generated unacceptably high costs. And money was tight due to medical and legal expenses connected with their fiasco case. So he gave Caffrey two options: prison or DC.”

“I guess that it wasn’t a choice” John added.

“No. It wasn’t. Kramer threatened Neal – he admitted to doing that.” Ann added.

“With Burke’s career on the line, and without support from the superiors, nobody could have done a thing.” Sam summarized.

“Exactly. Hughes came back last December – and from what I’ve gathered, he’s been trying to pick up the pieces… Simmons wasn’t a good boss. They success rate dropped dramatically. Some legal charges against him… brutality, sexual harassment…Unofficial, out-of-court deals… Very, very unofficially, they would love to have Caffrey back. And Hughes is supposed to come to DC next week to negotiate, plead or bargain for Caffrey’s release. And I think he might have found some dirt on Kramer”

“Ok. He won’t need it anymore. Elise, please transcript the recordings of Kramer and Eagers. I’ll give you more in the afternoon. We don’t have time to go through it all now, you can listen to it later” Ann handed over her recorder and glanced at her watch. She had a little more than an hour before her meeting with the team.

 “Not a problem.”

“Also, send Dr Anderson the medical report from Caffrey’s checkup. I want him to look at it. Check who paid for the prescribed medication – it should be Kramer if Neal was injured in the line of duty.

“And there’s one thing I still don’t get,” Anne continued. “Caffrey sent Burke a letter describing the situation. He called him and wasn’t listened to. Why?”

“I don’t know Ann. We will figure it out.” John assured her.

“I hope we do. How has Caffrey’s work been here in DC?”

“Well, it depends on what you look at – according to Kramer’s reports – not so good. But out of the blue their conviction rates rose from low 60s, to a strong 80 percent! When you go through the files, one thing stands out – all mistakes even the tiniest ones, and the due-to-unpredictable-circumstances ones were always CI’s.”

“That’s convenient!” John exclaimed.

“Yes, it is. Ann, you asked about Caffrey keeping in touch with his NY friends?”

“What do you have?”

“Well, he mostly sent e-mails or texted them. Agent Jones visited him in July. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“What about Moz? And Neal’s landlady?”

“Moz is short for Mozzie – I would call him Caffrey’s best friend.”

“Yeah? And where is he now?” Sam asked with sarcasm evident in his voice.

“Well, apparently he visited Neal in DC last fall… and then disappeared. I would guess he tried to take Caffrey with him and Caffrey refused – I found some unused travel arrangements for two. My bet would be on Mozzie and Neal. June Ellington is currently with her family in Florida – she went there about a month ago. After Caffrey was transferred to DC, her house was searched – possession of stolen art. Nothing was found, no charges…”

“But some fear.” Ann added.

“Oh, June is not easy to scare! She wasn’t afraid – more like pissed – but I guess her lawyer advised her to back down. All the paperwork was in order.”

“Ok. Thank you Elise, what about you, guys – what do you have?”

“Well, I talked with some neighbors. Caffrey was quiet, apart from FBI agents, they haven’t noticed any visitors. They were told to stay away from him – manager told him that he was a violent criminal. From time to time they heard some whimpers or strange noises… but they didn’t pay any attention.”

“Beatings?”

“Probably. Shop assistants remembered him: quiet, skinny, small grocery shopping every week. He always paid with cash and spent no more then $15-25. Polite, no small talk. Once in a while they tried to arrange some kind of sale or extra promotion so he could buy more. They put some leaflets about eating disorders and support groups in his grocery as well. Ann, he was also buying pencils and sketchbook – not often, but he did.”

“So he was drawing? We’ll have to search his apartment.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Sam promised.

“Ok. Thank you. What about the manager?”

“Ann… Well, you actually might not like it.”

“John. I really haven’t liked anything I’ve found out today. You won’t make it worse…”

“Ok. I booked him. Not me directly, but he’s been taken into custody”

“It’s better than shooting him… But why?” Sam added.

“Well, I figured that he would call Kramer’s people, so I called in a favor from a friend in the police department. In fact, they were already keeping an eye on him – drugs, maybe bookkeeping... I’d say I just sped things up. They got the warrant and they’re searching his office.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“Not to begin with, but he demanded to speak with the FBI, so my friend called me. The guy tried to cut a deal in exchange for information. I told him to give me more details and we might talk. Nothing we haven’t learnt yet - except maybe the fact that the agents searched Neal’s place from time to time.”

“Ok. The police were called to Neal’s apartment between July and November last year. John, could you ask around about it? Elise, did you manage to reach Burke?”

“No, only his voicemail. I didn’t leave a message and he won’t get my number to call back.”

“Ok. I don’t know if he can be trusted. Let’s try to find more about the letter. We have the medical report, Kramer’s confession and Eager’s statement. That’s something and the day isn’t over yet. I have to go and see what else I can find. I’ll be back within 2 hours.”

Ann excused herself and went to the coffee shop on the first floor. She didn’t think that Kramer would let Caffrey venture outside the building. The shop was mostly empty, with a tall, dark haired girl with a tattoo on her right lower arm and some piercings was working behind the counter.

“Hi, I’m filling in for a friend so I don’t know the usual order, but maybe you remember… Coffee for Kramer’s team, White Collar Crimes Division?”

“Yeah, but on Mondays it usually Neal’s turn… Is he ok?”

“He’s fine, just working on something. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing. Just… you know… Doesn’t matter. But I remember the order- Give me a second.” She took a sip from her mug and went to prepare the coffee.

She came back with 2 large lattes and one fancy coffee with caramel or something.

Ann asked curiously:

“And what does Neal get?”

“Lady, look at the prices. Do you honestly think he would spend that much on a coffee for himself?”

“Ok. But could you please prepare me one large skimmed latte - and please don’t spit into it.”

The girl was stunned.

“Fuck. I’m so sorry… I’ll replace your order but please don’t tell my boss.”

“Oh, there’s no need to replace it, these will be perfectly fine.” Ann smiled. She had been young and had hot tempered too… even if it was long, long time ago. She had once worked at a coffee shop and had a “special treatment” for bad customers. The girl relaxed and smiled back.

She returned to the counter and offered Anne a saliva-free coffee a few moments later.

“Will you see Neal today?”

“Yes.”

“Ok. Could you please give him something for me? But please don’t tell anyone or else he’ll be in trouble.”

“Not a problem.”

Ann paid for the coffee, spending over a half of what Neal would spend weekly on his food. She left with the coffee and a brown bag for Neal that the barista had given her. She put it in her purse to inspect later. So people had noticed Neal’s situation, and in their own ways tried to help. Neal probably lost all hope in November with Julianna gone, Moz out of the country and Peter… Burke seemed to be a decent guy - So why he didn’t help? Was he changed by his recent experiences? What was more important than Neal? His career? Ann didn’t think so.

Ann entered the bullpen and called a meeting in the conference room. Kramer worked with two senior agents: Kevin Blacke and Sandra Sanders, as well as some junior agents and interns.

“Coffee? It’s at Caffrey’s expense, I suppose…”

“Yeah. But why did you get four?”

“I just forgot that Caffrey isn’t here.” … And _because I don’t like someone else’s germs in my coffee_ , she thought.

“You brought him coffee?” A young woman with dark curly hair who just brought some papers asked suspiciously.

“Why is everybody so surprised? Doesn’t he like coffee?”

“He doesn’t drink it here.” The same lady answered.

“Criminal doesn’t deserve decent coffee,” she added mockingly with the disgust evident on her face.

 _And you, you don’t deserve to work here_ , Ann thought.

“Sorry, rookie mistake. Do you want this – it is a latte?

“Oh, thanks. Maybe he should actually bring coffee for junior agents and probies as well,” she prompted.

And survive on what? Commitment to his work?

“Well, I think we can discuss it later.” Ann chuckled.

The meeting was brief. Ann learned a little about their active cases… and more importantly about the CI’s treatment. They openly told her what they did and what they didn’t. They even confirmed changing the reports.

“You need a promotion. Caffrey doesn’t.” Sanders said.

Ann also noticed Blacke’s signet ring and she was willing to bet a great deal that it would match marks on Neal’s back. She didn’t like them –  Blacke, or Sanders. Both were arrogant, not too smart, but stubborn… A recipe for a disaster. She thanked them, assigned some work for tomorrow, and promised that she would pick up Neal in the morning:

“I need to set some ground rules with him. And for that I need some privacy.

She called it a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mess up with people who prepare your food :)
> 
> Be back next week!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann, a bribe and Neal...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank ayam for checking my work! I'm so grateful for all help I can get! Thank you!
> 
> And thank you for your kudos and reviews...It's amazing...
> 
> Enjoy!

After the meeting, Ann called her father.

“Hi, dad? Do you have a sec? I would like to ask your opinion.”

“Well, for you always. How is your first day back? And how is Sullivan?”

“A lot of work. But actually I’m calling to ask about him. He is my new boss… Dad, I need a sincere answer – I discovered something – and I don’t know if he can be trusted.”

“Sweetie, I’ve always found him a decent guy…We met for dinner last week. He asked about you. Told me that he probably had made a mistake, trusted someone who shouldn’t have been trusted…He didn’t go into details… But he was depressed… Like when you know that something is wrong, but you can’t name it…”

“Dad, is it possible that he asked for me because of my past experience? With victims?”

“Ann, what’s going on?”

“Dad, let’s meet tomorrow for dinner or lunch… I just need to solve this, ok? Then I will need your supportive shoulder and legal knowledge, deal?”

“Sweetie, you’re sure it can wait? We can meet tonight.”

“No. Thanks, but I have still some things to do…”

They finished the conversation. Ann went to Sullivan’s office. He appeared to be waiting.

“Ann, how are you doing? How is the first day?”

“Sir, with all due respect, I figured out why you asked for me. And yes, you were right. I don’t want to blame you. But I can’t trust you with the information I have. Not yet. Not after what was discovered. I have one request: please give me 24 hours. Please pretend that we didn’t have this conversation. That nothing happened, ok?”

Sullivan hid his face in his hands.

“Ann, I am sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, share my suspicions… But actually I didn’t know what was going on for sure. I didn’t want to see the signs…I so strongly wanted to believe that Caffrey was conning us. But apart from the way Kramer treated him, the way his so-called colleagues treated him… I realized that Kramer had brought in agents who think like him, act like him. But…it’s so wrong. And now I will have to live with the consequences.” He sighed.

“What else do you need?” He asked.

“Please keep my agents busy. In the morning, tell them you needed Caffrey for an undercover assignment.”

“How bad is he?”

“Bad.”

Sullivan nodded. If this case was about to end his career, he would at least make sure that something good came out of it… That someone would be saved.  

When Ann re-entered Elise’s kingdom, everyone was silent. For a second she thought that maybe something had happened to Neal… She quickly glanced at her phone… No missed phone calls…

“Did something happen?”

“Ann, we searched Neal’s place. And found something… He got a safe box to hide some items. We wouldn’t have found it but he must have used it while he was bleeding – when we swept the place for fingerprints and all biological traces, we found a bloody handprint… And then it just opened… we had no idea how…And we found sketchbooks… Neal has been drawing what was going on… Fists, knuckles, scary eyes, hands, bruises, his body slimmer and slimmer… It’s like a diary…with dates… And he wrote: _If you are reading this, probably I am either dead or in prison. You might think that these are figments of my imagination. I don’t care anymore… I counted the days_ _until_ _the end… But I don’t think he will let me go… You won’t believe me, why would you? I am a conman… I miss NY. But I won’t let him hurt Peter, El, June or Moz. I love them… They were a part of my life. From better times…”_

They sat down in silence…Ann spoke first.

“Kramer wanted to keep Neal for longer. He wanted to prolong his sentence. We have 24 hours to close this. And give Neal a better life.”

“Ann, I might know why Neal didn’t get help from Burke. I suspected that the agent didn’t get the right letter.”

“How? It was sent to Burke’s private address!”

“Yes. But Kramer was smart and tried to cover all the angles. Simmons’ buddy from IA who investigated Burke, asked for surveillance on one of the suspects. The case was legit – they suspected drug trafficking through some sweets sent by mail. But the address wasn’t – he put Burke’s address. And it is still there!”

“And nobody noticed?”

“No, because the case was classified and only Simmons’ buddy picked up the Burke’s post, inspected it and put it back in the mailbox.”

“But Burke got a letter from Neal!”

“Yeah. But definitely not the right one…”

“Ann, some more things – I talked with police officers who answered the call to Neal’s place. Caffrey was frightened. They felt something was wrong but he refused medical attention and they had to leave it. The call came from the manager and was quite a show: he screamed that there was an on-going rape.”

“He wanted them to enter Neal’s place being in full force mode.”

“Yeah.”

“I found one more thing – Kramer paid for Neal’s medication with his credit card. On Friday evening. But the medical check-up was on Wednesday. In the afternoon.” Elise added.

“He took Neal to a doctor on Friday?”

“Yes. Winters doesn’t work with the FBI. Kramer wrote in his report that he took Neal to someone who doesn’t have a connection with the bureau to assure objectivity and impartiality.”

“He took him to someone who would cover it up and not report abuse.” Ann sighed.

“We will have to call Burke to find out about the letter. But tomorrow. Ok. Let’s grab something to eat and head home. Tomorrow will be a hell of a day. I’ll go back to the hospital afterwards,” Ann told them.

They went to a diner nearby and talked about the weather, movies, books. Not about the case. They needed relief and besides – someone might be listening…

After goodbyes, Ann used the ATM nearby. Just in case. And then she drove to the hospital. She took Neal’s bag and checked the brown one from the coffee shop. There is always something to eat that’s good but can’t be sold – like a muffin a bit overbaked, a mistake in an order: sandwich heated when someone wanted a cold take-away, tuna instead of salmon…Neal got a sandwich, a muffin and a candy bar… She smiled… She knew that Neal wouldn’t be able to eat it… But the kindness (and the temper) of that girl touched her… She kept it for breakfast and promised herself she would buy new ones for Neal as soon as he was allowed…

She went to the ICU and stood in the front of Neal’s room. Mamma Bee was re-adjusting Neal blankets… she was humming something… Neal lying in the hospital bed appeared to be even skinnier, more fragile, younger… All the wires, tubes, monitors… She knew that he’d been through hell. Kramer had made sure that Neal would be feeling helpless… He had wanted to break him… Maybe he did? But still – small good deeds… She knew that Neal had a long road ahead of him… But she had gut feeling that he would walk it as a free man…

Dr. Mike Anderson came to her.

“Hi, Ann.”

“Hi, Mike. How’s he been doing?”

“Good, considering the circumstances. We replaced the oxygen mask with a nasal cannula. He’s still weak. We have him on good drugs, including muscle relaxants – he’s had some spasms. He woke up briefly. Not too lucid. Mamma Bee managed to give him some water. He kept it down. It’s a good sign.”

“His lungs and kidneys?”

“Working.” Mike smiled sadly.

“Ann, I looked at the report you sent. At first it was ok. But I noticed something: Winters wrote that Neal had bruised ribs – and that the bruises were fading. But he gave Neal a strong painkiller – I would’ve chosen something different. This is debatable, though. The antibiotics he prescribed aren’t. Ann, you give this type for open wounds – not for ‘just in case’ and definitely not for respiratory problems. And the dosage was wrong: there was a mismatch between Neal’s reported weight and the dosage - according to which, Neal should have weighed 20 pounds less and probably he did. And for his height and build it was already below norm. But still around 15 pounds more than now.”

“Damn it. We suspected something odd. Thanks Mike.”

“And Neal has a scar – lower abdomen. My guess – a stabbing. It was stitched… But it was quite new. Like a couple of months old…I will send you a report. But I will have to call the medical board as well.”

“No. Please wait. I’ll do it. But I need some more time. We will book Winters tomorrow morning. Did you manage to keep Neal’s data out of the system?”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks. I will just sit with him for a while.”

“He might wake up in a couple hours. Call the nurse then.”

“Ok.”

Ann entered Neal room.

“Hi, Ann.”

“Hi, Mamma Bee. How is he holding up?“

“Good. He stirs from time to time. Woke up briefly. Managed to sip some water. Mike told us that we can try some soup or a vitamin shake next time… He had some spasms – they gave him something to relax the muscles…”

“I will sit with him for a while. You can go home.”

“Sweetie, are you sure? I don’t mind…”

“No, go. I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

“Ok. I will be back in a couple of hours so you can catch some sleep. Keep him warm and calm.”

“I will. Thanks.”

When Mamma Bee left, Ann started working through the information she had gathered. Peter Burke was a mystery to her… She worked on her case for a while. Neal slept peacefully but after midnight he was becoming more and more agitated. Suddenly he opened his eyes. He looked terrified and instantly his breathing and heart rate changed.

Ann immediately pressed the call button and tried to calm him.

“Hi, Neal. I’m Ann. We met this morning. You’re in the hospital. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you.”

“I’ve got to go to work. T’m’r’ow.” Neal answered weakly. Even though it was out of the question, she knew he wouldn’t be able to take no for an answer.

“Ok. Let’s wait for a doctor, ok?” She gave him some water.

Neal didn’t seem convinced but he nodded.

The nurse came immediately. Seeing her patient awake, she went to get a doctor. Dr Anderson had finished his shift, but Ann knew the new doctor and trusted him. He had a calming voice, a lot of experience with trauma survivors and a sunny personality.

“Mr Caffrey, I’m Dr Thomson. I want to check on how you’re doing.”

“Neal. P’l’se call me Neal.”

“Ok, Neal it is then.”

The doctor explained each step he took… listening to Neal’s lungs, checking his vitals, temperature, bandages on the ankle, bruising on his torso and back…Ann wanted to excuse herself but…

“Neal, I’ll wait outside.”

“No!” he said quickly, and Ann stayed. She kept eye contact with him, kept his hand… small circles… helped him to sit up…gave him some water…calmed him when he discovered that the anklet was gone…assured him that he was safe… told him not to worry about medical bill when this issue suddenly freaked him out… Neal was confused… fever, drugs, uncertainty can do it… and probably he wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and hide somewhere…He didn’t seem to fully understand what was going on… The doctor asked many questions… Not if, but how much does it hurt… do you normally sleep on your side or back…do you want another blanket… Neal actually seemed genuinely surprised that someone cared…

The nurse put some ointment on Neal’s skin to help with the healing of the bruises and something to ease the breathing as well.

The doctor said, “Ok, Neal. Let’s get some food in you. Vanilla or strawberry shake?”

“How much does it cost?” Neal asked.

The doctor smiled sadly.

“Neal, you don’t have to pay for this. So vanilla or strawberry?”

“If I drink it, can I go to work tomorrow?”

“Well, I think that you should stay here longer.” Dr Thompson told him.

“No. I have to go. I can’t stay! He will hurt someone!” Neal answered in a raspy voice.

“Neal, I believe that Agent Smith will protect you. You are sick and it’s not advisable for you to go anywhere, ok?”

Neal was too surprised with the revelation that the lady who had just held his hand, calmed him and smiled at him was an agent to answer the doctor. He couldn’t process all the information at once… he was too fuzzy… so he just stared at Ann, trying hard to absorb what was said…

“Ok. I will leave you two and the nurse will bring both flavors so you can chose later.”

“Keep him calm.” The doctor whispered to Ann. She just nodded – they didn’t want to use the sedative but all this freaking out, panicking, wasn’t helping Neal. Even without the rapid, shallows breaths that were leading to nasty bouts of coughing, his respiratory system was weak.

“Neal, I’m with the FBI. I’m here to help you. Kramer won’t be your handler anymore. I will.”

“Kramer has a lot of friends. You can’t help me!” Neal was becoming more and more agitated. The monitors were beeping more and more frantically. _Great job, Ann at keeping him calm_ , she thought. She grabbed his hand and looked him in the eyes. Even though she wanted to scream, she used the most calming voice she could manage.

“I don’t give a damn about his friends. I have friends, too. And I will use each of my connections if I have to…Neal, he won’t lay a single finger on you. Neither he, nor his agents. You remember the lady in the coffee shop? I bought her “special coffees” today.” This caught Neal’s attention.

“You’re not like Kramer?” Neal asked with tears in his eyes.

“No. And I’m not planning on being like Kramer. But we have to calm your breathing, ok?”

“Ok.” Neal answered. Ann instructed Neal in how to breathe until he became more relaxed.

“You will pay me when I get discharged? Like tomorrow?” _Here we go again,_ Ann thought.

“Neal, let’s make a deal, ok? I will pay you for two weeks and for the electricity if you promise me you’ll stay in bed and do whatever the doctors say.”

“But you will take the money away…” He’d probably experienced withdrawn “love” – Kramer must have given him you something that Neal needed, wanted and punished him for it later…

“No, Neal. I won’t. Here – “ Ann searched her purse and took the money recently withdrawn from the ATM.

“$200 for two weeks in bed, $100 for electricity and $100 because you need a winter coat.” She told him.

Ann knew that he probably wouldn’t be able to return after two weeks. She knew that he probably wouldn’t be a CI anymore. But she knew that with money so tight his core existence focused on the simple question: how much I will get this week and how hungry and cold I will be. She knew that he was too weak and too disoriented to discuss his case.

“Are you serious?” Neal stuttered.

“Yes. You can put in under the pillow if you want, in the nightstand drawer or wherever you like, ok?” She handed him $400. He smiled and nodded.

Ann glanced at the monitors. No more frantic beeps.

The nurse entered with two shakes and a bendy straw. Neal chose the vanilla one.

“Neal, take small sips… as much as you can… if you feel sick to your stomach, leave it and call me, ok?”

He nodded. He managed more than a half when his eyes started to close. Ann took charge and saved the rest of the shake from a spill. Before she tucked in the blanket, he was sound asleep, slightly on his side with some extra pillows supporting his weight (or what was left of it).

Mamma Bee returned in the next hour. She hugged Ann closely after having heard about Neal’s little adventures and Ann’s solutions.

Ann left and headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter and the letter will come next... Before the weekend:)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann and Peter...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank my lovely beta - ayam for checking this chapter and for very useful suggestions!  
> Thank you!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it - but keep in mind that's a fanfiction and some things might be just a bit unrealistic...
> 
> All mistakes are mine!

Ann reached her home within 20 minutes after a silent drive through almost empty streets. She took a hot shower and got ready to turn in. It was well past two o’clock. She needed at least four hours to be able to survive a day. She didn’t know how she has survived working with the FBI so far with long days and nights – her body needed sleep. Needed rest. She never managed to survive more than 30 hours without sleep. So she brewed  some chamomile tea and set the alarm for 7:00. It shouldn’t take her more than an hour to get ready and get to the office.

The night was too short. On her road to the office, she called Mamma Bee and found out that Neal had a peaceful night, woke up briefly before the dawn, got some more nutritional shake in him and was currently sleeping. The fever was a bit higher than last night but that it should have been expected. The nurse washed him and put some salve on skin because it appeared to be too dry. It was still too early to tell but the doctor was rather positive about Neal’s recovery. Ann smiled and promised to stop by during the day.

At the office her team had already been informed about Caffrey’s undercover operation and Ann just shrugged her shoulders and told them to get to work. She closed her office doors and called Elise.

“Hi, Ann. How’s Neal doing?”

“Hi. He’s been better but he’s doing ok. He woke up and managed to drink some shake.”

“That’s good although he would probably prefer something more sophisticated…Neal seems to like fine cuisine.”

“Oh, very valuable background information… Elise!”

“Sorry, but you know…Ok, no more small talking… Winters was taken into custody and he’s been questioned now. Sam hasn’t informed the medical board yet. The manager wanted to contact Blake but – thanks to John – the plea was dismissed. We have all the papers to arrest Kramer and his people – and to get warrants to search their homes and offices. The warrants can be on the way anytime you are ready.”

“Ok. All hell will break loose soon…”

“Good luck, Ann.”

“Thanks. One more piece of the puzzle… Burke…I’m about to call him.”

“Don’t strangle him over the phone.”

“Not funny. I have to go now.”

They hung up and Ann called Burke. She decided to call the office.

“Agent Jones. How may I help you?”

“Hi. Agent Smith from Washington speaking. I’m looking for Agent Burke.”

“He just entered his office. I’ll try to put you through.”

“Thank you, Agent Jones.” After a few seconds Ann heard a voice which seems at once harsh and soft. 

“Agent Burke.”

“Good morning, sir. Agent Smith, FBI DC. Well. I hope I can take a few minutes of your time.”

“Well, technically yes. I have a meeting in 20 minutes.”

“I won’t take that long. I just need some advice. I got my CI – it’s Caffrey and I know that you were his first handler. I’m not sure how to work with him… He seems… I just don’t know…”

“What happened with Kramer?”

“He had a heart attack.”

“And you are planning on keeping Neal?” ( _He used his first name_ , Ann thought. _Why then didn’t he help!_ )

“Well, wait and see… Any advice?” Ann heard a sharp intake of breath. And a heavy sigh.

“I just… don’t know. We worked together just fine. Than after one op going south he was forced to work in DC. And I just don’t know anymore.”

“Why? You talked to him? Has he changed?”

“Well. I thought he changed in NY. For better. Grew up, became more responsible… fewer stupid ideas… criminal actions… And then… I’m sorry but I don’t think I know him anymore. You should ask Kramer. I followed some of his reports – stupid Neal, careless Neal or criminal Neal – you can pick and find it there. Just chose which case…”

“Sir, I’d love to know your opinion. Not Kramer’s. If Caffrey did something, I need to know”

Burke chuckled. Sadly.

“It’s rather a private thing. And I don’t think you are entitled to hear about it. Let me say Neal let me down.” _Yeah? And you are sitting in the office drinking coffee and he’s lying in the hospital bed alive thanks to achievements of medicine_. Ann thought.

“Sir. I understand. But I have to ask you about something. Did you get a letter from Caffrey last fall?”

“How do you know about it!? Yes. I did!”

“Did he mention in this letter anything about how he was treated in DC?”

 “Agent, if you insist, I will – though reluctantly – tell you! This son-of-a-bitch sent me a letter telling me how much he had missed NY, June’s good heart, Italian coffee and my wife! Or more precisely my wife’s body, sexy appeal and then her cooking, humor, intelligence… And that not seeing here is an unacceptable punishment!” Burke was enraged.

Ann sighed heavily.

“Did the letter seem legit to you? Didn’t it raise any suspicions? “

“Well, at first yes. Typed not hand-written. But Caffrey called me and asked me about it! And what I should have done? I told him to accept his punishment!” Burke almost screamed.

Ann waited for a minute.

“Agent Burke. I have evidence suggesting that this letter was forged.  It wasn’t written by Neal. I have also evidence suggesting that your house has been under surveillance because someone there at the New York office filled in a form with your address instead of the actual suspect in a case. I believe your mail has been searched and some of it removed and replaced with forgeries.”

“What?”

“Sir, I don’t know how to tell you… But Neal wrote a letter to ask for your help. He was physically abused by his handler. I took him to the hospital yesterday. He’s stable but in serious condition.”

“I will be in DC in 4-5 hours.” She heard Burke standing up.

“Sir, please give me some more time. I need to arrest people responsible for what happened. And it includes someone in NY. I don’t want to spook anyone. Please keep it quiet. By tomorrow afternoon you will be able to see Neal.”

“He shouldn’t be alone… He and drugs are not a good combination. If he is stressed, he won’t be able to keep much down…” Peter trailed off. Ann sensed the guilt coming off him.

“He’s not alone. I will call you by the end of the day. Please stay put, ” Ann ordered him.

They hung up. Peter called and excused himself from the meeting. He wanted to run away from the office, to tell his people that he needed a day off – but he knew that he had to stay and at least pretend to be working.

After the meeting, Hughes approached his office.

“You ok? Seems to be a bit off your game. Why you didn’t want to participate in the meeting?”

“ I just needed a quiet day. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. What was the phone call about? It seemed to throw you off balance. Was it about Caffrey?”

“Well. Just Caffrey has a new handler.”

“Oh, And do you think he will be willing to let him go?”

“It’s a she. I hope so. Boss. Not now. Please. She told me something.”

Hughes sat down.

“I won’t leave till you tell me what’s about.”

“I can’t….”

“Don’t you trust me? I don’t blame you after all the experiences from last year.”

Peter sighed heavily.  “It’s not that… Neal… I think I failed him… Badly.”

“Burke, what the hell is going on?” Burke stood up and went to look through window. He looked defeated. After a few minutes, he quietly spoke.

“Kramer abused Neal to the point that Caffrey had to be taken to the hospital. It’s bad. And Agent Smith who had been assigned to be his new handler asked to keep it under wraps so she could work a case…”

“Oh my God…”

“Reese, if he dies…”

“Peter, stop. He’s alive. As soon as she gives you green light, go to DC. Take as much time as you need. And bring Neal back. I don’t care if he works here, but the kid deserves better.”

“Thanks.”

While Peter was pretending to work, Ann finally was able to see a clearer picture. _Wife, he protected his wife – or tried to protect her from the bad influence of a criminal. Maybe Burke tried to save his marriage as well. Caffrey, Burke, his wife, June - they all suffered from so many bad things_ , she thought.

Ann entered Sullivan’s office and showed him all the evidence, including Winters’ statement about the actual state of Neal back in the fall. Sullivan browsed through the files, nodded and within an hour they had made all the arrests. They sent Blacke’s signet ring to the lab and took personal and FBI computers to be analyzed. What was happening wasn’t pretty. Everyone was in shock. Actually, everyone outside the White Collar Crimes Division. Before Ann was ready to go to the hospital, she gathered all the agents, interns and probies to address certain issues. Sullivan stood next to her. She knew that his gesture had deeper meaning.

“As you probably already know, Agents Kramer, Blacke and Sanders from DC and some other agents from NY have been arrested. The list of charges is long and it might change due to the ongoing investigation. You are not allowed to discuss any of these with the press. The bureau will release a statement within next few days.” The easiest part was over. Ann continued:

“You have been working with a CI. His name is Neal Caffrey. You might have not noticed, but is a human being. He can feel pain, experience sorrow or happiness… He's not a tool...He was taken to the hospital yesterday. He is very weak. His doctor asked me how it could have happened in an office full of law enforcement officers, highly trained agents who promised to protect weaker people and fight against crime. I haven’t found an answer.”

“Ma’am. I’m sorry to interrupt but Caffrey is a criminal. And from what you told us, you put his well-being above careers of many good agents. He was a felon. Why did you take pity on him? C’mon is his life worth it?” The lady who wanted to get free coffee at Neal’s expenses spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that we have a God among us who is all too eager to judge people! Dear God could you tell me if my fiancé’s life who was killed by a drunk off-duty firefighter was less worthy then the man who caused the accident? And whose actions were covered by his so-called friends for years?” The girl and all in the room seemed to be stunned.

Ann went on. “Caffrey made a deal with FBI – he wanted a new start. He agreed to give his skills and knowledge to help catch criminals. He did exceptionally well for the FBI. And what about the FBI?... Right now nurses are trying to cajole him into eating something every time he is awake because he can’t afford to lose any more weight. When he was brought in, he had all his clothes on him because in his so-called apartment there was no heating. He developed pneumonia and while everyone heard his coughing, he was ordered to stay at home without medical assistance. He has new bruises on old ones and a gash on his ankle because his tracker was placed too tight. And all of you have been witnessing this since his arrival last spring. Because of your behavior, all of you are suspended until further notice. Your cases will be taken over by other agents. You will be interviewed within the next days.”

“You can’t do this!” The same lady exclaimed.

“Technically she can’t. But I can. Please hand in your badges and guns.” Sullivan told them and added, “I’m more than disappointed. In you and in myself.”

One of the agents spoke:

“Sir. I would like to speak on the behalf of – I think – most of us. We’ve been working here for some time. And we saw what was going on and we turned a blind eye.  We – people with guns and badges – were afraid. We love our job, we are good at what we do and we didn’t want to risk losing a comfortable live. Right now this explanation seems to be so silly. We put our fancy houses, summer vacation and golden credit cards above our ethics. This can’t be nor forgotten, nor forgiven. I’m truly sorry. I think that we deserve to face the consequences even though we might not be ready for them.”

Most agents silently agreed with him and handed their guns and badges. However, there were a few who looked like they wanted to make a fuss but Sullivan didn’t let it happen.

Ann decided to call her father, Eagers and Burke. Her father agreed to meet her in the small bistro close to hospital. Julianna thanked her and promised to come and stay with Neal during the night. Ann called Burke.

“Burke.”

“Agent Burke, it’s Agent Smith. I have everyone in custody right now.”

“Thank you. Do you need anything?”

“No. We can arrange meeting in my office to discuss his future tomorrow around ten in the morning and afterwards we can go to the hospital. I don’t know if he wants to see you but we can give it a try. There is always someone with him.”

“Could you send me copies of all the documents?”

“Agent Burke. I will show you all the documents tomorrow. You need to drive safely. Right now you have to know that Neal is severely underweight and has pneumonia. He is slowly getting better. He will need a lot of support as soon as he leaves the hospital. You can bring something he likes – I don’t know – maybe some soup? Or some toiletries? I will also send you information regarding your case. I hope you can get it straight and get your mail free of someone’s snooping.”

“Ok. I’ll bring Neal something and I will deal with the surveillance on my home. Can I tell my team?”

“It’s up to you. But I have one other request. Neal’s sentence will probably be nullified. Could you find out if your boss is willing to hire him as an outside consultant? I don’t think Neal would want to stay in DC.”

“Ok. I’ll discuss this with him“ Ann gave him her mobile phone number. He thanked her and promised to be in her office by 10:00.

Peter gathered his people and Hughes to tell them what happened. Of course, they have already sensed that something was wrong. And the bureau was full of gossip because some agents were arrested. Peter gave them all the information.

“Damn it. It’s my fault. I should have looked more carefully at him when we met in July.” Jones told them.

“It’s our fault. As a team. He was our partner and we didn’t even check on him, visit him… How could we have been that stupid to believe his mails and texts… We should have known better!” Diana added, in obvious distress.

“Calm down. Right now we can’t turn back time. Don’t blame yourself. Neal needs us now. Strong. We don’t know if he will agree to meet us again – we can only hope that he will. And that he will forgive us one day. I’m going to DC tomorrow. I’ll let you know.” Peter told them.

They discussed options available for Neal for a while and Hughes gave him the rest of the  day off. Peter went to June’s to tell her what happened. She wasn’t home but the maid promised to call her and give her the message. Then Peter went shopping – sweat pants, pajamas bottoms and tops, some toiletries Neal might like. He bought some chicken noodle soup from one of Neal’s favorite bistros. El was out of the town and Peter was grateful for that. He could try to lie to her on the phone. He didn’t stand a chance in a face to face conversation. He headed home and wondered how he would survive the night and the trip to DC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter and THE LETTER! Well, I was struggling with this! Kidnapping the postman? invading Burke’s house? And what should be in the letter…Who’s more important then Neal?El... I hope you liked it:)  
> Be back next week with more Neal:)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann, her dad, Neal and Julianna...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank for all kudos and reviews!  
> Many thanks to my lovely beta – ayam for checking my work and for useful suggestions!  
> Enjoy!

In the meantime Ann left the office. She went downstairs to the coffee shop. She spotted the-like-to-split-in-your-coffee girl and thanked her for the package. Ann told her also that Neal was in the hospital but that he wasn’t up to visitors. 

“I’m grateful for what you did for Neal. I think that it was at least a bit easier for him to survive a day with this ‘secret’ you both shared.”

“Agent, thank you very much for taking care of him. I couldn’t believe that no one said anything! “

Ann didn’t want to discuss this matter but she knew that people were easily affected by bad influence – and even if it wasn’t an excuse, it at least brought a question of  “what I would have done, if I were him or her.” Ann knew that nobody could answer this question being one hundred percent certain.

Ann drove to the hospital and met her father in a nearby diner. When she entered, he smiled, saying, “Well, Ann, looking at you I finally understood why for many years they gave only female names to hurricanes! You caused quite a storm, girl! I’m so proud of you!” He enveloped her in a fatherly hug.

“I didn’t know that news travel so fast! What have you heard?”

“A lot. How’s the kid. Neal, right?”

“I hope he’ll be fine – but it’ll take time. Mike and Mamma Bee have been taking care of him. His NY handler is coming tomorrow – Agent Burke. He seems to be a decent guy but I don’t know if Neal will agree to see him.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“To make a long story short, Burke got a forged letter and, assuming it was Neal’s, he didn’t make any attempt to help.”

“Wow.  I hope he will be able to forgive himself.  He might be helpful as an agent here – I’ve never heard of so many agents being suspended (or arrested) at once. Especially with the PD involvement.”

“Yeah. I guess I’ll be busy for a while.” Ann chuckled.

“You’re planning on staying there? I think that they’d love to give you a team and assign you to your old duties.”

“I don’t know. I agreed to accept this position because I didn’t want to deal with my old tasks anymore. And – what’s an irony! That’s exactly what I did on my first day!”

“Sweetie, maybe it’s a sign that you actually need to accept your destiny?”

“Dad, please don’t give me that speech. Mamma Bee told me more or less the same. But I wanted to try something different.”

“Ann, you sincerely think that your empathy, compassion, quick thinking and ability to keep your head clear under duress wouldn’t be wasted in the world of art thefts and bond forgeries? I know that good agents are needed everywhere but you have something special…”

“Shall I cry now?”

“Ann and your golden sense of humor… If you want to stay with the bureau, don’t waste your talents in the White Collar Division. Maybe you can teach some seminars about dealing with victims if you want to quit field work?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see. I hope I won’t be kicked out because of my actions. Or sent to early retirement.” 

“Oh, don’t you worry about it.”

“ Ok. I won’t. There is still some money left if I decide to use it.” She smiled sadly. Her mom had left her and her dad a small fortune so money was not an issue. She died when Ann was 12. Ann would have loved to exchange the money for her presence. But that wasn’t possible, so she went on.  But Ann never spent more than needed and when she was young she always got a job and learnt to appreciate the value of money. Ann knew that money made life a lot easier. She was grateful for her life and maybe that’s why she decided to help those who were  less lucky than she was.

She stopped her sentimental trip back in time adding, “But right now I’d like to discuss legal options for Neal with you.”

“Ok. As soon as I heard about the case, I looked into Caffrey’s files. I saw also some of the evidence you gathered. In my opinion there will be an out of court deal. With a good lawyer, Neal could walk with a lot of cash. But I’d suggest something different – immunity for any past crimes – even these allegedly committed. Additionally, medical leave paid by FBI – the length should be discussed with Mike – but my guess would be at least 3-4 months, some monetary compensation – around $20-30 000 and a job offer – a consultant in NY with a decent salary. The kid is too good to let him go.”

“Ok. The immunity’s a good thing. What about Burke?”

“Well, I’d say he should get some protection as well. Just in case. I think it could be easily arranged.”

“What if Neal doesn’t want to come back to FBI?”

“Ann, I’d opt for immunity rather than a big check. It’d be much safer for him. Even if in the future someone wants to arrest him, the kid would walk free – that’s if he doesn’t commit any more crimes after this.”

“Ok. Thanks.”

Ann and her father discussed some other things and immersed in small talk for the rest of the meal. After a while, he headed home and she went to visit Neal.

“Hi, Mamma Bee. How’s he been today? Why there is an oxygen mask? What happened?” Ann’s initially casual tone rose rapidly to fear.

“Ann, calm down. He’s doing as well as can be expected. Mike removed more fluids from his lungs and the mask is just a precaution. It’ll be removed as soon as he awakens. Don’t worry about it. His fever caused some more problems some time ago. It was rising during the morning and he started hallucinating. Neal asked about Kate. Do you know who Kate is?

“No. A girlfriend? I’ll text Elise to check it.”

“Ok. The fever has been decreasing. Now it is 101.4. He didn’t eat a lot today. He felt dizzy so we didn’t want to push it. But keep trying ok?  Mike got him on some anti-nausea medication so he should feel better. There’s some fresh soup, yoghurts and juice in the fridge. He’s not a fan of these shakes or oatmeal. Mike wants a surgeon to come and have a look at his ankle - probably tomorrow – just in case. You know him – that’s not a reason for panicking.”

“Ok. I’ll stay for a while and for the night there will be someone who tried to help Neal. She insisted on doing this.”

Ann described Julianna and her actions. Mamma Bee promised to come back early in the morning but she would be available earlier if needed.

Ann sat down next to Neal’s bed. He was still looking too pale, too thin and too sick but marginally better than yesterday. The nurse checked his vitals every half hour but Neal barely stirred.

“He’s doing better. You might not see this but his X-rays and blood work are a bit better than  yesterday. We managed the fever, he’s been hydrated and his kidneys responded well to the treatment. His lungs sounded better after we removed the extensive fluid. His lack of appetite is the biggest issue now. We have been trying to make him eat something each time he’s awake. But it’s not enough. They don’t want to even consider using a feeding tube but he must start eating more soon. The dietician had recommended a bland diet and some tasteless products but Dr Anderson sounded desperate and told us that he can even have a cookie if it’s something he wants,”  the nurse told Ann.

“H’m m’d?” A weak voice joined the discussion.

“Hi, Neal. Let’s make you more comfortable.” The nurse exchanged his mask for  a canula, then checked his IV and asked,

“Neal, would you like a cookie?”

 “C’n’t. “

“Why can’t you, Neal?” Ann was intrigued.

“Cr’m’nals d’nt eat c’kies.” The nurse sighed heavily. She gave Neal some water and spoke.

“Well, Neal. Here I’m in the charge of the cookies. If you want one and you promise to try to drink some juice as well, I’ll bring you one. Or even more than one, ok?”

“Ok.” Neal smiled weakly. He spotted Ann.

“Hi. I won’t give the money back. I’m staying in bed,” he said quickly.

“I’m not planning on taking it back. I told you it’s yours.”

Neal stared at her. He wasn’t too coherent but at least he remembered her and their deal. The nurse came back with some butter cookies and apple juice.

“El made good cookies. In NY. But I don’t deserve them. Or seeing her. Peter told me…”

Ann knew why Burke had told him that. She wasn’t sure what to do – he was way too weak to understand what’s going on but today Julianna will stop by and tomorrow, Peter. She waited until he managed half of a glass of juice and a cookie. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed the second (neither was she), but she encouraged him. _Neal, please keep it down or Mike will kill me and the nurse_ ¸ she thought. He was eating slowly.

“Neal, I think that you should know something. But you have to promise me something, ok?”

“Another deal?” He asked.

“Well, yes. Do you think you could stay calm for me?”

“Why?”

“Well, if you don’t stay calm, your doctor would probably read me the riot act. More than once.”

Neal smiled and nodded.

“Neal, Kramer and his agents were arrested.”            

“Oh. Why?”  Ann looked at him eating slowly a cookie – a damn cookie for which she had to give him permission – and suddenly felt very sad. He didn’t think that they treated him badly, did something wrong. He thought that he deserved this. He had fought but then he just gave up. Maybe for a while the thought that working for Kramer would be over one day made his life more acceptable, but then…

“Neal, they did something very wrong.”

“I didn’t help them!” If the situation weren’t so dire, it would probably have been funny.

“Neal, you promised to stay calm, ok? I know you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re not in any troubles, ok? But I found out why Peter Burke didn’t help you.”

Neal looked surprised but more focused. He shook his head.

“He told me to accept my punishment. So I did.”

“Neal, Peter got a forged letter. He thought that you wanted to harm his wife and that not being with her was a punishment.”

“You know about the letter? It was a stupid idea. I’d never hurt El! He should’ve known that!” Neal was so close to tears.

“I know, Neal. He knows that too. But it was a misunderstanding. He was played.”

‘Oh…. My place here is cold and damp. And the manager is creepy. Do you think we can change it?” Neal changed the subject – but she needed to ask him something.

“Well, probably yes. Burke will be in DC tomorrow and he would like to come to see you. Is it ok with you?” _Please Neal, don’t freak out, or Mike will torture me before killing me._  Ann begged in her thoughts.

“I don’t know. I guess it’s ok.” His reasoning was clouded by fever and drugs – he didn’t seem to fully comprehend what she told him. Ann decided that it was enough revelations for one day. He handled it pretty well, but he was too fragile. Burke seemed to be a closed book for Neal. He probably gave up hope of coming back to NY. Ann gave him some more juice and another cookie. He seemed to enjoy it. He had managed half of it when his eyes started to drop. She was tucking him in when the nurse entered his room soon and told Ann that she had done a good job with the juice and cookies.

Ann got an email with everything Elise found about Kate and smiled sadly while she was reading the documents. _Was it a true love?_ She wondered.

Julianna arrived in the early evening, bringing some home-made soup. Everyone working in this ward would be enjoying good food as long as Neal stayed in the ICU. Even with a healthy appetite, Neal wouldn’t manage to eat all the goodies in the fridge. So Mamma Bee had already posted a note saying what could and couldn’t be touched.

Both women stayed in Neal’s room until awakened. Ann wanted to introduce Julianna but the girl handled the situation (and Neal) very well. When Neal started to panic about what Kramer would do when he found out, she just said, “Neal, I don’t want to hear about Kramer. He’s in the custody and he’ll stay there. You’re my friend and I’ll come and visit you as often as I can. C’mon, Neal. I’m not going to get intimidated! Besides, I’m hungry. I brought some soup and I hope you’ll keep me company.” Ann took the soup and had it heated while Julianna kept Neal awake and relaxed.

Ann gave one bowl to Julianna and one to Neal and wished  them a pleasant meal. She promised to be back around noon. Julianna had all the contacts and knew what to do just in case – Mamma Bee reluctantly agreed to stay home until early morning. Ann explained her that Julianna needed some time with Neal.

Neal managed half of his bowl before he got too full and too tired. Feeding Neal has become the main task for his visitors. If he were more lucid, he would have added a witty comment about the situation.

The night passed quietly, at least in DC. Neal had some tea and a few spoonsful of yoghurt. He was still feverish but a bit better. He was waking every now and then but he could fall asleep mid-sentence.

While the night in DC was peaceful, the night in NY – at least for Peter Burke – was hellish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far so good?
> 
> Be back soon... with Peter :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Neal...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank my lovely beta ayam for the amazing work – not only did she check my grammar and spelling, but also she gave me a lot of suggestions and ideas! She made this chapter a lot better than it had been before!
> 
> Because of caseylf123’s comment on Peter’s behavior, I decided to explore it a bit more! So I would like thank caseylf123 as well for the ideas!
> 
> Thank you for kudos and reviews! And for staying with me!
> 
> Tissue warning!
> 
> Enjoy!

When Peter returned home, he collapsed on the coach and tried to process all that had happened. Of course, he blamed himself. He looked back at the previous months and couldn’t believe how many things had gone wrong. Hughes on medical leave, op going south, new boss, IA investigation and Neal’s transfer to DC…Peter had to admit that he had been worried about his career, his life, even his marriage… El had always been a wonderful wife but with him under so much stress their relationship was on the edge. Somehow Neal’s problems had seemed less important, less urgent, less demanding than his own.

He got that letter. He remembered it well – a fancy envelope, nice paper… He thought that it might have been a con – but damn it! Neal called and asked about it! – and the style was so Neal-like. Apparently, Kramer had done his homework. Peter thought that he should have processed it more carefully… checked it for fingerprints, biological traces… but the content was embarrassing – another man writing about his wife and admiring her in a sexual way, making suggestive innuendos. And on the top of it – Neal (actually not Neal but a person who wrote the letter) – knew where to strike. _I know that you probably think that this is a con but you – once in your life – have to trust me._ Burke didn’t remember the exact words but the meaning…The trust… of course trust was a problem in their partnership… There were worse and better times but he had to admit he had problems with trusting Neal completely…Not in the field, on the undercover operations, but in everyday life.  So just this once – tired of all his troubles with his ex-CI, maybe even grateful that the kid was someone’s else’s problem – he trusted the letter. And Neal paid the price…

Peter had burnt the letter in the backyard so El would never find it. Another mistake – she would have seen through this. But now the letter was gone, and it would have been would be useful as evidence.    

Peter hadn’t asked why the letter had been typed rather than handwritten. He had just assumed that it had been easier that way, or maybe Neal had wanted to have a chance to deny writing it. When Neal called and asked about the letter Burke admitted to having read it.  And he told the kid – beaten and starved – to cowboy up, accept the punishment – but, for God sake –he had thought Neal was complaining about time without El, not about the fear, pain or hunger! Neal didn’t argue… There was no _“but why Peter?… Why don’t you want to help me?”_

Peter had given Elizabeth a vacation with her girl friends as a Christmas present. The two of them had celebrated Christmas together, but did not speak of Neal, nor send him a gift.  Peter had stopped mailing and texting him in the fall, after he had received the letter.  The couple didn’t talk about Neal – Peter avoided the subject and El didn’t push it. Maybe she had been in touch with him, but he doubted that it has been more than some _I’m fine and take care_ messages. When Peter thought about it, maybe they were trying to overcome what they had been through with Neal and because of Neal, maybe they were a bit jealous that he had seemed to enjoy his life, maybe a bit disappointed... Kramer’s reports had indicated that Neal’s behavior was less than exemplary.

Peter called Elizabeth before leaving for DC, but he didn’t tell her about Neal.He knew she would blame herself for not keeping better track of someone who had been almost family to them for a while. He lied that he had a lot of work and he’s going down with something. She didn’t argue, sense something odd – she just told him to take care and drink fluids.

Peter could only pray for forgiveness and hope that all of them– Neal, El, Moz, June, himself – would survive and become stronger. He was well aware that Neal might walk away a free man with a lot of money after all of this and never talk to him again. And Peter knew that he would deserve this.

What Peter failed to see was the fact that he was also a victim in this situation – that he was played, his career threatened, his mail searched in a sick plan of Kramer’s and his colleagues. Hughes took care of discontinuing the surveillance at Burke’s but not all harm can be undone. For Kramer, Neal was nothing more than a wild, rarely seen animal that the agent could keep… a prize in a game… a criminal not worth a penny… a tool to use and drop…not a human being. Kramer was in awe of him but he would never admit to this.  So he decided to break Neal. Kramer knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against Neal in a fair fight, based on wits and intelligence, so the agent played dirty… 

That night Burke didn’t catch much sleep. He was rehearsing what he would do, would say to Neal… what he would promise.  He was hoping he would be able to sit with him, hold his hand, give him some water… be there.. apologize… try to redeem himself.

He got up early, fed and walked Satchmo, took a shower, swallowed a bit of food and a mug of coffee.  Jones and Diana had agreed to take care of the house and dog so he left for DC. He was trying to drive safely – to focus on the road, not on rehashing the ‘what ifs.’… The car was silent.  He thought of all the times he and Neal had driven somewhere together, the chatter and the banter, the annoyance over Neal’s attempts to change the radio station.  He wondered desolately if he would ever get to experience times like that again.

Ann was waiting for him at the office when he arrived in DC. She had already had a busy morning –reviewing parts of testimony given by the agents involved in Neal’s case. She sensed that Kramer had created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity… Bullying? Probably. She had also had to reassign some cases and duties.

Sullivan joined them.

“Agent Burke, I’m very grateful that you managed to come to DC. The situation is very sensitive. As you are no doubt aware, Neal Caffrey was mistreated by his handler and other FBI agents. There are some other charges against them as well. Different agencies – the FBI, PD, and the DA have been working together but we are trying to keep it as quiet as possible.”

“Out of court deals? No prison time?” Burke asked bitterly.

“No. It’s not like that – we want justice but if this gets to the media… The PR office is working on statement but not a detailed version. Agent Burke, you have to understand that it will not only put Neal’s life in jeopardy, but the whole CI program at risk of being closed down. The White Collar Division in New York gave an excellent example and many field offices followed. Now we’ve been checking on all CIs all over the country to make sure that the situation we have here hasn’t happened anywhere else… What we don’t want is for all the other field offices to avoid the CI program because they think it’s going to be too much of a headache."

“Are you afraid that Neal might talk with the media? I don’t think so.” Burke added.

“Agent Burke, we hope he won’t. But we are afraid of many things. Money and the bad publicity are the least of our concerns right now. The situation here has reminded us – though painfully – than the FBI should not only use CI’s skills, but also should give them a chance….See them as humans, not as criminals. You have to understand that we have many people on work-release deals and they might end up back in prison if the program shuts down. That’s why we have to keep it as quiet as possible. We will have to give reporters’ something but let it be the problem of the PR office.” 

“I will try to do my best – but you have to understand that Neal might not want to talk to me.” Peter briefly reminded them about the letter.

“Agent Burke,” Ann interrupted,  “I talked with him. I told him about the letter and he agreed to see you. But you have to understand that he doesn’t comprehend fully what’s going on. He’s heavily medicated and sometimes delirious. I had to bribe him to stay in the bed.”

“That’s sounds like Neal.” Peter smiled sadly and sighed heavily.

“I believe we have some options for him. If he agrees, he can come back to NY. My boss is more than willing to hire him.” Burke told them.

Ann summarized her father suggestions and they decided to prepare a deal that would be the most beneficial for Neal – on several different levels, not only monetarily.

“What about Kramer and his people?” Peter asked.

“Blacke, Sanders and Simmons will serve time. About Kramer… He’s still in the hospital and the actions against him will depend on his health – but he will be incarcerated in one or another institution. None of them are agents any more. Other agents are being questioned right now and actions against them will depend on the on-going investigation. Some careers will be over, but in most cases – suspensions and mandatory training in the humane treatment of those on work release will hopefully change their attitudes toward CIs in the future,” Sullivan told him.

“Agent Burke, we won’t let this case to be swept under the rug.” Ann added.

“Those responsible will pay a severe penalty for almost killing that young man.”

“We have enough evidence and support from the higher-ups to make sure this case is handled correctly,” Sullivan said.

“One more thing – some reports were – at least in some parts (mainly Caffrey’s involvement) – falsified. That might result in re-opening the cases and some criminals walking away… So the legal team is working on the best solution. And – again – the phrase of the day…”

“Keep it quiet.” Peter finished.

Sullivan excused himself to deal with the aftermath of the situation. Ann and Peter talked for a while and she showed him Neal’s files.

“Agent Burke---”

“Peter. Please call me Peter.”

“Ann.”  They shook hands and continued.

“Peter, you need to keep in mind one thing – Neal is alive and is getting better. He is on the mend. He looks bad but every day he gets a little better.”

Peter nodded. But he wasn’t prepare for what he saw…

“Oh, my God… I’ve never seen him so skinny…bony…I bought him some clothes – smaller than his normal ones, but still he will be swimming in them…It’s my fault…It’s all my fault…”

Although Ann assured him that it was not, she knew that her words were meaningless to him. After he skimmed the files and managed to compose himself, they drove to the hospital.

Neal was sitting propped up on pillows. Julianna had left in the morning and her place had been taken by Mamma Bee, who was talking to Neal while he was trying to eat some soup. He wasn’t doing very well with his task since his bowl was still more full than empty. But at least he was eating. Ann and Peter stood just outside his room – Peter needed some time to brace himself – he was still shocked at Neal’s condition. After a few minutes, Neal must have had enough because Mamma Bee took his still half-full bowl. Ann and Peter knocked and entered his room.

“Hi, Neal. How are you doing?” Ann asked. But he was more focused on his new visitor.

“Hi, Neal.” Peter told him.

“Hi. What are you doing here? What if Kramer finds out?” Neal was obviously becoming more and more agitated.

“Neal, I told you Kramer was arrested. Neither he or his people can hurt you. I told you about Peter’s visit and you agreed to see him.“ Ann assured him.

“Yeah. Now I remember. You are the new Kramer, but you’re not like him. You gave me money. Can Peter stay? I won’t tell him anything.” His question surprised them.

“Of course, he can stay. And you can tell him anything you want. We will wait outside.”

“Sweetie, you remember that there should be a surgeon coming soon to have a look at your ankle?” Mamma Bee told more Peter than Neal but Neal nodded.

The women excused themselves.

Peter sat down in the chair next to his bed and first time in a long time he didn’t know what to say but he couldn’t stand the awkward silence between both of them. He wasn’t good at comforting – it was more El’s thing…He took off his jacket – it was suddenly too hot in Neal’s room… and he wouldn’t blame the heating…

“Did you like the soup?” Peter somehow managed to ask and bashed himself for the stupid question.

“It was good. There’s always some food… I haven’t eaten that much good stuff for a long time!”  His exclamation was like a knife in Peter’s heart.

 “I brought you some fancy soup from that bistro you liked in NY. Do you want some?”

“No. I’m full.” Neal shifted trying to reach his blanket – actually one of his blankets. Peter stood up and helped him. And before any more awkward small talking about food, weather or whatever, could happen, a surgeon entered the room. Peter got a gut feeling. A bad one about this guy.

“Hi, Mr Coffri.”

“It’s Caffrey.” Peter answered.

“Yeah. And you are? Oh, an agent…” Doctor spotted his badge now visible on Burke’s belt.

“Good.“ The doctor didn’t introduce himself, didn’t explain what he was  going to do. He unceremoniously uncovered Neal ankle. Neal felt a stab of fear and tried to withdraw his leg but his movements were sluggish. He glanced at Peter hopeful at first that he would do something… But his expression quickly changed.  He remembered that Peter hadn’t helped before, and wouldn’t help now. Peter saw the progression from fear to hope to hopelessness parade across Neal’s face, and felt another stab to his heart. He remembered a long ago day when Neal had told him he was the only person in the world he trusted. And he knew now he had lost that trust, and worse, had lost any right to that trust.  

The doctor grabbed Neal’s ankle roughly. “Oh, I see someone struggled against his restraints… Let’s have a look… Or maybe I’ll just cut off the leg and save the nice agent here some trouble, hmm? Then he wouldn’t have to stay with you.”

“No!” Neal cried out in pain and tried to move away as far as possible in the hospital bed.

Under normal circumstances Peter would politely talk to the doctor about his inappropriate actions. His lack of bedside manner… Or any manners… But Neal lying in the hospital bed looking so fragile after months of abuse, wasn’t ‘normal circumstances.’ And desperate times required desperate measures. In one swift movement he pushed the call button and then grabbed the doctor’s collar and dragged him outside the room. Well, probably – under normal circumstances – it would have ended like this. But the doctor decided to try his speech about his tight schedule, ungrateful criminals and wrinkles on his coat… Moreover, he tried to re-enter Neal’s room. So Peter took his cuffs and handcuffed the doctor to the railing on the corridor. Against doctor’s loud protests…Or maybe because of them…

It took no more than a minute but in the meantime Neal was caught up in a flashback and struggling to breathe. Peter hurried back to his bedside.

“No. Don’t! It hurts! It’s too tight!” Neal screamed. 

“Neal, open your eyes. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. Please Neal, calm down.”

“P’t’r”.

“Yes, Neal, I’m here. I know I let you down before, but it’s not going to happen anymore. Nobody will hurt you now, buddy. Breathe slowly, like this.” He tried to model slower breathing as Neal was still having trouble catching his breath.

Dr Anderson arrived in answer to the call button and the general commotion, not stopping for his colleague outside Neal’s room when he demanded to be released. 

“I have a patient to attend now. I don’t care if you are comfortable or not.” When he entered the room, Peter – still comforting Neal – explained what happened. Dr Anderson cursed under his breath and asked one of the nurses to get him the chief surgeon asap.

“Neal, how are you feeling?”

“My leg hurts…Dizzy…” Neal managed to wheeze… The doctor didn’t like this… They had fought against nausea yesterday.  Neal was too weak to stop eating because of his unsettled stomach.

“Neal, I am going to put an oxygen mask on you so you can breathe more easily. Your friend can wait outside, ok?”

“No!”

“Ok, Neal. But he has to move a bit, ok?”

Neal nodded weakly and the agent stepped aside but didn’t break eye contact with Neal.

“Neal, I am going to give you something for the pain.” Dr Anderson thought that probably it was more psychosomatic but he didn’t want to risk Neal in any discomfort. 

“I need to have a look at your ankle.” The doctor added.

“No!” Neal answered with tears in his eyes trying to remove his mask and looked pleadingly at Peter. Burke knew that he just got a second chance – but knew that Neal – despite his protests – needed medical attention.

“Neal, keep it on. This doctor’s not going to hurt you. He’s not going to cut your leg but he has to make sure that everything is in order, ok?” Neal didn’t seem to agree so they had to meet halfway.

“OK, Neal, I won’t touch your ankle – I know it’s tender now  – but I need to check your toes and look at the bandage.” With Peter’s reassurance, Neal nodded.

Dr Anderson did as he said and gently touched Neal’s toes.

“Neal, are you cold? Your toes are freezing.” With a nod from Neal, another blanket was put on him and Peter started talking about warm socks, mundane conversation which seemed to relax Neal.

Mamma Bee and Ann had returned and were standing outside the room. They had observed Neal and Peter’s interaction, and were more hopeful that the two men would be able to rebuild their trust.

Dr Anderson checked Neal’s IV and his vitals – more or less satisfied, he left the room and told Peter to push the button if anything changed. Dr Anderson decided that his so-called colleague could use some time to think so he just shrugged his shoulders when the surgeon asked about being un-cuffed.

“You know, I think that Agent Burke lost his keys. And I don’t mind. I asked specifically for someone experienced with trauma victims and left very clear instructions to come and get me before entering Neal’s room. Your actions endangered my patient’s health. After I file a complaint, you will be lucky to even work here.”  He walked off, leaving the young surgeon fuming.

The chief surgeon arrived a few minutes later, having been informed of the situation. She was a small, curvy woman, obviously furious with her subordinate. Before entering Neal’s room, she stopped to say to the still cuffed surgeon,

“You and I will have the talk when I’m done with my patient. And I might take a while because now I have to convince him to let me have a look at his ankle. Until then I don’t want to hear the slightest whimper coming from you. You can use this time in prayer about keeping your job.“

When the surgeon entered she found that Neal had been tucked in and his pillows arranged so that he was sitting slightly upright in the bed, with Peter sitting on the side.

“Hi. My name is Dr Sanchez. You must be Neal.” Neal nodded but clutched Peter’s hand more tightly and his heartbeat started to speed up.

“Neal, it’s ok. The doctor won’t do anything you don’t want, ok? I still have another pair of handcuffs…” Peter told him and Neal gave him a small smile.

“Neal, I’m sorry for my colleague’s behavior. He’s a jerk. Your doctor has asked us to have a look at your ankle. You have a gash there and we want to make sure that it’s healing nicely and that there will be little or no scarring I would like to explain what I would like to do, ok?”

Neal looked at Peter for reassurance, and nodded.

“Ok. I would like to have a look at your ankle. I will uncover your calf and put your leg on a sterile sheet. I will do all the work so you don’t have to worry if you don’t feel strong enough to move a bit. I know it hurts so I will numb the area – you will feel a pinch – and then we will wait for a couple minutes. So far so good?”

The pattern was repeated – Neal looking for Peter’s reassurance and then agreeing with the doctor.

The doctor explained whole procedure and after the local anesthesia, Neal eyes started to flutter. He was fighting to stay awake.

“Neal, I don’t mind if you fall asleep. When you wake up, your leg will be elevated on the pillow and I would suggest some socks to keep your feet warmer. The numbness should be gone but there shouldn’t be any pain, ok?” Dr Sanchez added.

“Close your eyes, Neal. I will watch out for you. I promise she want do anything else, ok?”  Peter assured him.

Neal nodded and was quickly asleep.

After some time, the doctor was done.

“Ok. The ankle is healing nicely on its own. I removed some skin from the edge and put some ointment. Dr Anderson will easily deal with the rest. Try to keep Neal in the bed and off the foot for a day or two. Do you have your keys, agent...?”

“Burke. I do.”

“It’s a shame…But I guess I can’t keep this idiot in handcuffs forever…”

“I hope he won’t cause any trouble… I just… acted on instinct I guess…” Peter added.

“Oh, don’t you worry. He should be grateful that you didn’t shoot him. He’s talented but he can’t deal with people… But I believe that one day he will change…Anyway, it’s my problem now. Give me the keys and I will bring you back the cuffs.”

Mamma Bee and Ann entered and smiled at Peter’s actions.

“You did good. Dr Anderson was furious on the surgeon…” Ann told him.

Peter nodded, and said softly, “In fact I probably should have thanked the surgeon… You know – because of his behavior, Neal managed to trust me… It’s more than I dreamed of coming here… It’s a still a long road but the first step…”

They discussed who would stay with Neal. Peter argued that he could  stay the whole night but Mamma Bee disagreed.

“Sweetie, you need to go to the hotel, take a shower and get some sleep. I will be here around midnight.”

With the schedule set, the women excused themselves and Peter took up his vigil over a sleeping Neal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter will be posted soon!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann, Peter and Neal...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank my lovely beta - ayam for the hard work and some suggestions as well! All mistakes are mine!
> 
> Thank you very much for reviews and kudos!

Neal managed to sleep for a while. Peter just stared at him, trying to absorb what he was seeing. From time to time he got up and rearranged the blankets when Neal stirred. After a while Neal woke up and Peter called the nurse. She checked her patient and promised to be back with some soup. When she returned, she managed to get Peter to step outside Neal’s room so that she could explain to him that while it was necessary to encourage Neal to eat, it was more important for him to eat a little and keep it down, than eat too much and lose it.  She added,  “We slightly increased his painkillers and added a very light tranquillizer due to today’s experience – just a precaution because it’s not doing him any good to panic. He might be more talkative but less lucid. He’s still on oxygen but I removed the mask. If he has any problems breathing, let me know.”

Peter nodded and entered Neal’s room with some soup and tea on a tray.

“I’m not really hungry…” Neal whined.

“Neal, you have to try to eat something or they will keep you longer.” Neal – well, the Neal Peter knew from NY – hated hospitals.

“I don’t mind. It’s warm here. And I have food. Ann gave me money for two weeks in the hospital. She’ll take it away…if I get better” Neal chattered nervously.

“Neal, listen to me carefully. She won’t. And I think that it will be longer than two weeks before you’re back on your feet.”

“That’s ok. I like being here – it’s nice. Do you think I can take a shower here? Maybe they wouldn’t notice if I use some hot water…” Peter wanted to go to the Kramer’s room and punch him…and punch him… And the only thing that stopped him was the fact that it could weaken Ann’s case against Kramer.

“Neal, as soon as you are a bit stronger you can take as many showers as you want and use a lot of hot water.”

“Really? … It’s nice. I don’t like cold showers…I don’t like my apartment here either.  Ann told me that I can change it. She doesn’t seem to be bad.  I hope she won’t cut my money too badly or hit me too much.” Peter’s blood almost boiled. Of course, he had read Neal’s files but reading the facts and hearing Neal refer to them as if nothing unforgiveable had happened, were not comparable experiences.

“I hope she won’t turn off the electricity or warm water for too long. She seems nice… she let you stay.” Neal grinned at Peter. The agent didn’t know what to do, what to say…

“Neal, you know that Kramer and his people were arrested?”

“Yeah. Ann told me.”

“Do you know why?”

“They did something bad. But I didn’t take part in it!” he added, a frightened tone creeping in to his voice.  Peter snorted at this exclamation.

“I know, buddy. I know,” Peter said gently. He decided not to push the subject.

Neal managed a few spoons of soup and announced that he was full. Peter took the bowl.

“How’s the ankle?”

“It’s ok. The socks feel funny, though. But it’s nice.” Neal tried to move to lie on his side. Peter gently helped him. He didn’t think that Neal was about to go back to sleep. Drugs had always affected Neal’s behavior differently. So Peter decided to talk to him. He told him about some cases, Satchmo’s little adventures, El’s events…Peter was well aware that they would have to talk about Neal’s future but Neal was in no condition to do it now.

“It was good to be in NY. When are you coming back?” Neal said almost absent-mindedly.

“I’m planning on staying for a while. Neal, I have to ask you something. Would you like to be back in NY?”

“I can’t – you forget I don’t have vacation time. I have a lot of work to do… cold cases, mortgage frauds… After two weeks there will be a lot of catching up to do. I hope Ann will give me some time…. I can work 16 hours a day… I worked that way with Kramer… I will do it quickly… there are two probies who always give me their paperwork…I have to do it or they would go to Kramer…“ The words seems to flew unconsciously. Peter was sure that Neal would never have told him that if not for the drugs combined with a slight fever.

“Neal, listen to me. If you want, you don’t have to come back to work in DC.”

“No! I have to! Or you will be hurt, or El, or Moz, or June!”

“Neal, we will be fine.”

“And I don’t want to go back to prison… I wanted to but he told me that if I do something stupid he would do something bad. Moz wanted me to run with him… but I couldn’t do that …I’ll have to stay here forever… But it’s ok. You’re safe.” Peter felt like his throat was clenching and he felt tears in his eyes.

“Neal, Kramer won’t hurt you or me. He’s in custody…”

“I know. You told me. But there are new rules – you should have known them…You can do everything with your CI – I had to sign the rules… But they are hard…”

“Did Kramer tell you about them and make you sign them?”

“Ann didn’t bring new ones… I hope she won’t add anything…Blacke has a signet ring and it hurts…But why are you here?” Peter knew that he has to be patient even though he was becoming more and more frustrated – not at Neal’s lack of lucidity but at the fact that he couldn’t do anything, bring some relief. So he decided on something different.

“I’m visiting a friend. I did something horrible – didn’t help him when he needed help. I didn’t know how bad his situation had been, but I should have paid more attention. And now I want to make things better.”

“Your friend’s lucky.” Neal told him, yawned and a minute later, fell asleep. Peter tucked him in and whispered, “Neal, I’m sorry that you got hurt. I should have examined the letter more carefully. I should have come to see you. I’m so sorry Neal.” He had to get these words out, even if Neal couldn’t hear.

Peter called Ann and told her about the new “rules.” She promised to ask Elise -her analyst- to look for a document. She soon found one sent as an attachment from Jenny Green’s computer  - the lady wanting free coffee from Neal - to Kramer’s official mail. Of course, he had deleted the message but Elise using her skills found it anyway. The rules were prepared on official FBI paper and they – at first sight – looked legit. What was worse, they were supposed to be signed not by Kramer but by Sullivan. When Sullivan found out about it, he was furious – he didn’t remember signing anything like that. They never found the original document – only a digital copy dated back in late November. The rules were harsh – cruel even. _If a CI contacts anyone not approved by the handler or without the handler’s knowledge, both parties can be punished for this crime._ There were more rules – about different forms of punishment – and the document explained – at least to certain degree – Neal’s behavior and his attitude towards Peter.

Ann and Peter decided to wait until Neal was more coherent to talk with him about his future – but they knew that it would have to be done rather sooner than later. They were concerned that Neal might sabotage his recovery because he would like to prolong his stay in the safe environment provided by the hospital – he was warm, pain free (mostly) and fed – he didn’t associate his work in DC with so many ‘privileges.’ But Neal desperately needed nourishment, calories, more weight on his bones. Peter promised to bring some pastries for breakfast and try to bribe Neal with them. They asked Mamma Bee to talk with Neal about the importance of eating and the disadvantages of having a feeding tube. On the other hand they knew that Neal had been forced to get used to cutting down on his food intake and probably was used to not eating for long periods of time. Besides, being sick and feverish was a good recipe for a lack of appetite for everyone.

Neal woke up in the evening.

“Neal, Eleanor – Mamma Bee – will kick me out of the hospital in a few hours. I’ll be back in the morning. Do you want something? Some food maybe?”

“Everyone brings food…”

“I know Neal, but maybe they don’t bring something you would like to eat. What about something from a fancy bakery – I’m sure they have something like that in DC. And I could bring some pastries…”

“It’s expensive… I don’t have money.” He told Peter. But Peter knew that at least Neal was tempted.

“It’s on me. I can use a decent breakfast. So – do we have an agreement – pastries: currant buns, cinnamon Danish rolls, croissants?”

“Coffee?”

“For me. Tea for you. As soon as your doctor clears you, I will bring you some Italian roast.”

“It’s the best day I’ve had in a while…” Neal closed his eyes. Peter didn’t want to think about other days.

Peter was grateful that Neal wanted to see him but – truth to be told – he was more prepared for arguing, apologizing… not this…Neal’s meager existence shrank to basic needs and instincts – warmth, hunger, safety – not only his safety but also those whom he cared about. Neal was a conman –  and in so many situations he wore a mask, pretended, become a puppet in the show, played a role required by the situation. Peter had never seen him so vulnerable, so exposed, so fragile, so stripped of hope…so human. The agent decided to follow Neal at this – trying not to overwhelm him with his presence, good news, even food – just be there for him and offer assistance when needed.

Peter knew that he would have to tell El. So far she was convinced that he was just busy and grumpy because he was coming down with something. She was coming back on Sunday so he decided to wait until then and to ask someone from the office – Diana or Jones to drive her to DC. Both his agents were eager to help, to see Neal, to do something. They were used to  action, having control, being in charge, so being helpless and feeling guilty about it wasn’t in their skill set.

Peter also knew that he would have to prepare his wife before she entered Neal’s room. When she arrived and he explained the situation, there were a lot of tears. El didn’t blame Peter – she knew that he was blaming himself and more recriminations wouldn’t help him or Neal. She discovered that he had been taking cold showers just to punish himself.  She had toweled him dry and persuaded him that his behavior wouldn’t be much help for Neal.

Neal spent another couple of days in the ICU. Every day he was becoming a bit stronger – he managed to sit up on his own on Thursday (though listing to one side), wobbled to the bathroom on Friday (heavily supported by Peter and a nurse and saved from an encounter with the floor only by their firm hold on him), convinced his doctor that the shower wouldn’t wear him down on Saturday (well, it was the first time Neal had tried to use his charm – the attempt was rather pitiful and showed how long a road ahead of him Neal had to be himself again – but granted him permission to use as much hot water as he needed). Then Neal survived June’s hugs on Sunday and El’s cuddling and hovering on Monday (or from Monday on).

He wasn’t eating a lot but he got hungry or had some whims from time to time. It made everyone smile even if it also required a trip around the city. Nobody minded. The dietician surrendered when Neal, ordered to drink protein shakes, (safe for his stomach – according to her best knowledge) had promptly thrown them up but had managed to keep down some Chinese some time later.

Neal’s thinking was still fuzzy and he had to be reminded now and then that Kramer wouldn’t hurt him. Peter and Ann needed to talk to him about his future but Dr Anderson had put a strict ban on this type of conversation (after the first unsuccessful attempt resulted in the return of the oxygen mask for the night) or any kind of conversations that might put Neal’s fragile well-being at risk. Neal also avoided talking about his future – he simply enjoyed staying in bed and being taken care of. When he started becoming more lucid (thanks to the decreasing level of painkillers), he also started withdrawing more from conversations about his past in DC.

Neal stayed another couple of days in the hospital but graduated from the ICU at the beginning of his second week. This activity was so tiring (and exciting and frightening at the same time) that Neal slept almost the whole next day but Ann and Peter got a green light to talk to him about his future sometime mid-week. Dr Anderson entered Neal’s room with them and waited by the door as a precaution.

When Peter started his speech, Neal interrupted, “Peter, you told me about Kramer so many times. I promise I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes, Neal. I know.”

Peter realized that there was no easy way of doing this, so – with Ann’ help – he just started and kept going:

“Neal, we would like to talk about your future.”

“I know. But I still have a few days left. I will be ready on Monday, I promise.”

“No, Neal. You will stay here as long as needed. And when you gather enough strength to be discharged, you can do whatever you want. You – Neal Caffrey – are a free person now.”

“What are you trying to tell me, Peter”. Neal’s heart rate was speeding up.

“Neal, you have to stay as calm as possible or Dr Anderson will order us to leave. Ok?” The doctor was checking Neal’s vitals but he knew that they had to do it.

“What happened in DC – what Kramer and his people did – is inexcusable and unforgivable.”

“But I sent you a letter and you told me to cowboy up…”

“Neal, I know. I got a forgery – and I believed that it had been written by you. I can’t forgive myself that I didn’t check on you, come here to rescue you. I was so tired, so angry… Neal, I’m so sorry.” Neal was so stunned that he didn’t know what to say so he muttered,

“But the ‘rules’”.

“Neal, there were prepared by Kramer to threaten you. There are not official FBI’s rules. ”

“Oh.”

“The FBI want to make it up to you – somehow. Ann and I – with the legal team – prepared a deal for you. You don’t have to agree to anything right now – take as much time as you need. We can try reach Mozzie for your or find you a good lawyer – if you want. So, first your parole was commuted and the reminder of your sentence nullified.”

“It can’t be real!” Neal interrupted.

“It is. And it gets even better. If you agree not to sue the FBI for damages and not to talk to the press, you will get immunity for your past crimes – even those allegedly committed. It means that even if someone discover your forgeries, you will not be put back in prison. The catch is no more criminal activities from now on”

“A fresh start?”

“Yes, Neal. Moreover, the FBI will give you $30 000 in damages. They will pay for your medical leave – obligatory 10 weeks and then up to 10 more depending on your doctor’s opinion.”

“The FBI agreed to give me a compensation and a paid holidays?”

“Well, technically it is a medical leave. And they added – I added a job offer.”

“What?”

“Neal, we worked together and I really appreciated your help. You can be a pain in the ass but I kind of get used to it. I might even miss it.”

“You miss me?” The conversation was just a shadow of their usual banter – but it was a start. At least Peter hoped so.

“Well, a bit. So… a paid consultant job in NY – with the salary and benefits of a senior agent.”

“Wow. What about Kramer?”

“Oh, don’t you worry about him. Or Sanders, or Blacke with his signet ring and his mob connections, or Green with her eagerness to take advantage because she can. They - all of them - will pay for almost killing you. And Julianna will be rewarded for her empathy and her courage.” Ann added in a soft tone.

Neal looked at them in disbelief. He shook his head and couldn’t stop the tears. Ann and Dr Anderson left the room – they knew that Peter and Neal needed some privacy. Neal dealt with the situation pretty well. And as much as they wanted Neal to be happy, they also were aware that he needed to express his emotions. Peter sat on Neal’s bed and hugged him, talked to him and let him cry.

“Peter, I never had that kind of a chance. Please promise me that you don’t take it back. That it will happen – me free of a anklet, free of my past, working with you. That it won’t change when I wake up tomorrow.”

“It will happen, Neal. The offer is on the table. Take as much time as you need.”

“I will do it. I want to work with you in NY.” Neal told him between sobs.

“I’m so happy to hear this. But you need to get your strength back first. Take it easy, ok? Now the wind could knock you over.”

“Will I get a badge? And a probie?” Peter laughed.

“Well, I don’t think that you will but I can try to get a good coffee machine instead. Deal?”

“Ok. I will be back in no time.”

“No, buddy. You will be back when the doctor clears you.” The talked for a while and Neal was lulled to sleep slightly by the drugs, but mostly by the bright vision of his future.

Peter was afraid that Neal would try to speed things up so June took charge and booked three weeks at some fancy health resort for Neal and herself (she told Neal that her back was aching and with some of Byron’s old tricks she easily convinced him to go with her). Dr Anderson was more than happy to hear about it – Neal still had a lot of recovery to do.

When Neal was finally discharged, there were touching farewells: with medical staff, Mamma Bee, Julianna and Ann. The agent told him to take care and simply hugged him. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to work with White Collar – so she followed her dad’s and Mamma Bee’s advice and applied for a team and started rescuing people – from abusive husbands, wives, children, predators. She managed to get Sam, John and Elise transferred to work with her. She extended her invitation to Julianna as well and the girl decided to accept it. She applied to the FBI and started to prepare for her time at Quantico.

Neal was required to talk with someone – and thanks to June’s stubbornness, El’s insistence and Peter’s cajoling, after returning from his small vacation with June, he did. He wasn’t the only one – Ann told Peter that if he wanted his partnership with Neal to work, he would have to redefine their relationship. _Would you be able to put him undercover? Let him do something risky? Wouldn’t you be too protective of him and too possessive at once? Would you remember that he’s a free person now and he might quit? Find another job?_ Peter realized that he must overcome his own problems – trust, guilt and some other issues as well – to be ready for Neal’s return.

Diana and Jones with some other agents had to attend a seminar on team working and communication and some counseling as well.

Neither Peter nor Neal woke up one day and magically forgot the past year. There were nightmares, heart-breaking conversations, tears, dinners, walks and picking up the pieces. But step by step they began getting ready to start working together – to start trusting themselves again (or maybe for the first time?). Moz was back with his paranoia and elaborate theories and with so much protectiveness towards Neal that Peter actually had to remind him to let the kid breathe.

Ann visited NY in late April with a seminar about violence and working with victims. She met Peter, who was working hard on some cases and then Neal, who was still recuperating at June’s. He looked much better but wasn’t cleared for duty yet. There were small setbacks in his recovery – a nasty cold when he was caught in a heavy downpour in March (what gave him an overnight stay in the hospital as a parting gift – the stay was a precaution his doctor told him). But the situation served as a reminder that his immune system still needed time. Sometime later there were problems with gaining weight when Neal forgot to eat, being too busy with visiting museums or art galleries and just strolling outside his previous radius. Neal, being used to hunger, didn’t pay enough attention to his stomach’s grumbling and demand for attention. For a while he was getting texts from Peter, Moz, El, Diana, Jones, June – or all of them –around breakfast, lunch, and dinner time reminding him to eat. A precaution, he was told. “Precaution” was a word Neal started to truly hate. Then there were some muscle strains when he wanted too much too quickly. Fortunately, no one found out about them (Neal didn’t want to think about “a precaution” for this type of situation). Even with all these small reminders of his mortal nature, Neal was definitely on the mend. A painting was on the easel, some sketches were around… Even some case files ineffectually hidden on the couch (Peter knew that a bored Neal could get into  serious trouble, so he was just entertaining his friend). Ann – taking all this in – just smiled at Neal.

Neal finally was able to return to work (well, actually to start his job free of a tracker and worries about his past) sometime in mid-May. The day was beautiful – sunny, not too hot or humid, with blue sky and blossoming flowers. Neal was still a bit thinner but looking much better. He entered the office in one of his (Byron’s in fact) suits with a slim tie and expensive looking shirt, accompanied by a fedora in his hand, a smile on his face and his usually brisk steps. His eyes were glittering and there was so much energy in each small movement that Peter couldn’t believe that the Neal who was lying in the hospital back in January and the Neal who was standing in the corridor were the same person. Peter couldn’t help but smile at Neal’s picking an intern’s wallet (of course no one noticed) within the first five minutes of his return to the office and then giving it back with instructions about what to do and what not to do to avoid pickpockets in the future. Jones won a $50 bet when Neal cracked his first case before lunch.

Ann was smiling while reading Peter’s email sent at the end of Neal’s first day. She was in the hospital waiting for Dr Mike Anderson’s verdict on a young man saved from a slavery ring (thanks to Ann’s hard working team) and Mamma Bee’s arrival. She had had a very hard couple of days. But she somehow felt that maybe – all of them--Neal, Peter, herself -- finally were fulfilling their destiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well,  
> I hope you liked it. It was very hard to finish the story – but I needed to do it. Sorry if you are disappointed but it had to be done.  
> I hope you enjoyed the ending :)  
> I’ve never dreamt of writing a story in English!  
> Thank you very much for staying with me, for so many good words…It means a lot!  
> I’m not saying good bye – I’m saying – see you later. I will be back! Soon I hope :)  
> Hugs,  
> Happy Phantom

**Author's Note:**

> Could you please take some time and fill in a short survey?  
> https://ankiety.ucntn.umk.pl/index.php/799325/lang-en  
> (you have to copy the link, sorry...)
> 
> Feel free to post the link to your works as well! On the behalf of research team (and one crazy reader and writer) - THANK YOU!!!


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